Futari no Himitsu
by Threya Midnight
Summary: Nanami Haruka was just a normal girl that suddenly got asked out by the school idol Ichinose Tokiya. It's been four month since they started dating, and yet Haruka felt as if she didn't know anything about her boyfriend. But things got out of hand; she got more than what she wished for. "Please don't tell anyone. This will be a secret between the two of us." Q&A section updated!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Because I can't keep my hand still xD Now that I finished Date with Haruka Week, I need something new to keep up with my writing frustration. So here it is. A new series XD Yay.

Disclaimer: I will only say this once throughout the series, I do not own Uta no Prince-sama.

English is not my native tongue, actually, far from it xD Lol. If you find any mistakes, tell me please so I can fix it. Thank you.

***Updated* **09/95/2014/. This chapter was edited.

* * *

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 1:

How it happened

In Saotome Academy, they had a weird tradition.

The school election starts at the _end _of the school year rather than the start. The second year students who plan to be in the student council in their third year do their campaign before the school year ends. Saotome Shining contrived this because he thought it would be better to select the new officers before the summer break starts, so during the summer those officers will have two months to prepare on what to do for the new school year. And when the classes start, he expects that the new set of student council members will have something good up on their sleeves.

Anyone would think that someone like Nanami Haruka wouldn't bother herself with such affairs. It's obvious that she had no plans on running as a member, she was too shy to go in the crowd and far too clumsy to have the school matters thrown on her shoulders.

But she should. She was _forced_ to be bothered with this event. Why?

Here's the reason why:

On the day of the _meeting de avance_, one of the candidates for presidency, Ichinose Tokiya, talked to her before his speech.

"Nanami-san,"

Haruka stopped walking and turned around; she was planning to go to her respective seat when someone called her name. She was surprised to see that it was no other than Ichinose-san, so surprised that she wondered for a moment if it was really _her _that he was calling.

Ichinose-san has been popular in their school since he started studying here. He was smart, athletic, and handsome. He also had this cool, mysterious air around him that made girls swoon for him. They never became classmates not even once, so how he even_ knew _her name was a big mystery to her.

"_H-hai!_" She straightened her back and answered stiffly; it was obvious how nervous she was that other than her best friend, Shibuya Tomochika, was calling her name. Let's add the fact that this person was no ordinary one, he's one of the school idols and will most-likely win for presidency because of his popularity.

He chuckled. "You don't have to sound so nervous."

The rosette blushed, lowering her head. "_Y-yes_."

She heard him laugh once more, golden eyes peered up only to see a serious look on his face and his eyes were intense. This made her heart beat fast, she really didn't understand why such a popular guy was wasting his time talking to her rather than preparing his speech.

"I'll be straight to the point." He said firmly, Haruka gasped. _This man meant business_. "Because anytime soon, I'll be called to go up on the stage to talk so…"

The rosette nodded shyly, unable to do anything else.

"When I win, _be my girlfriend_."

Golden eyes widened, she opened her mouth to respond. Her face became as red as her head, hands clutching on the ribbon of her school uniform.

_Aren't you being too sudden? _She wanted to say.

But it was all too late; the speaker started paging Tokiya's name. He nodded at her, as if telling her he will be taking his leave. He walked away, while she stood frozen in place, unable to react. When his intense aura disappeared, Haruka turned around only to find him already standing on the podium on stage. She noted that he walked incredibly fast, it was like he teleported.

'_Or maybe he dematerialized like a ninja_.'

The rosette shook her head and decided to go back to her seat; the teachers would scold her if she remained standing in the middle of the dark gym hall.

As soon as she found where her classmates were assigned and she found her chair, Tokiya finished fixing up his microphone and his speech papers. Haruka didn't know if it was because of the darkness, but she had a glimpse of those papers while he was talking to her, and she was pretty sure that it was actually _blank_.

Either way, he was about to start. He looked at each student with a confident smile, only to stop and meet her gaze. It was only for a split second, but she knew it was _her_ Tokiya smiled at. He looked straight forward, clearing his throat.

"Good morning classmates, students, teachers, and school personnel…" And his speech started.

Behind Haruka, she felt someone tapped her shoulder. She didn't have to guess who it was.

"Haru-chan," Tomochika Shibuya, her and only friend, whispered to her ear. "I saw that! What did Mr. We-already-know-he's-the-next-student-prez say to you?"

Golden eyes continued to stare at the person on stage; he seemed like a star in the middle of this dark galaxy. Shining brightly, just his mere words were enough to know that he's a responsible person.

"He asked told me that if he wins… I'll be his girlfriend…" Haruka whispered; voice unfocused.

"_What?!_" Tomo-chan said louder than intended, the people around 'sh-ed' at them. She scratched the back of her head and apologized. She moved closer to her best friend and whispered. "Haruka, are you _sure?"_

"I don't know." She answered honestly. "I think I'm dreaming, if so, wake me up…"

Behind her, Tomo-chan kept on exclaiming her disbelief. The rosette didn't actually understand what she's saying; all her words just passed through her ears. This couldn't be happening… This was all too random. Just so… weird.

And as expected, Ichinose Tokiya won as president. Vice-president was Hijirikawa Masato. Secretary was Jinguuji Ren. Treasurer was Shinomiya Natsuki. Social Relations officer was Aijima Cecil. And so… It wasn't surprising that all the winners were part of STARISH, it was the name they called for Ichinose's group of friends. The only reason why the two other members of the group wasn't part of the student council was because they ran out of seats for them or they just didn't want to join.

But that didn't matter; she was _officially _Ichinose Tokiya's girlfriend starting this day on. She didn't know whether to be happy or not. She wasn't really one of his fan girls, true she admires him for being such a role model, but other than respect she felt nothing more. The first time they talked was the time when he asked her out. Haruka didn't even know that the bluenet knows about her existence! So to be her girlfriend out of a sudden was a little…

After a few days, it was already summer break. Tokiya didn't try to contact her or go to her house the whole two months. No, even if there were still classes, he didn't go to her class after school or _whatever_ boyfriends should do with their girlfriends. Haruka wondered if she was only imagining things during that day… If it was, then she can finally take a deep breath and relax. She got worked up for nothing! She was so stupid! As if one of the most popular boys in school would ask out a nobody like her out of nowhere! Things like that only happen in fiction! What did she think; she's some _heroine _of some romantic comedy anime or something—

* * *

Summer break just ended. Nanami Haruka is officially a third year student. She walked her way to her school when she saw Ichinose Tokiya waiting outside the school gate. As soon as he saw her, blue eyes widen. He walked towards her and offered to carry her bag; Haruka said he didn't need to.

"I'm sorry for not talking to you after the election." Tokiya apologized, golden eyes widened in surprise. As expected from Mister President, straight to the point as usual. "I immediately got busy with student council work."

Haruka nodded, walking slowly as they headed to the board to find which section they are.

"Ah," The bluenet gasped, she turned to meet his expression. "I'm also sorry for not contacting you last summer. I…" He paused, a blush on his face as he turned away. "I didn't know your email _or _your home address…" Tokiya leaned against a wall, a dark depressive aura emitted from his body. "I'm such a failure as a boyfriend…"

The rosette laughed nervously, shaking her head. "No, it's fine, Ichinose-san. Don't worry about such trivial things!"

_Boyfriend… huh?_ Haruka repeated in her mind. _So we really are…_

He immediately straightened up, the light in his eyes immediately returned. He smiled at her, sparkles flew out of nowhere. She faltered back, this man was too bright!

"After the entrance ceremony ends," He said seriously. "We _must _exchange addresses"

Haruka forced a smile and nodded.

_So it really wasn't… a dream…_

It turned out; they were in the same section.

Haruka wanted to start and end this school year with no problems. She just wanted to graduate and go study at some good university and go on with her mundane life. But it seemed that her dream cannot be granted…

"Nanami." He called her out in a cool voice.

She stopped walking. Mechanically, she turned around. A smile was on her lips, sweat dropping.

"Ichinose-san." She tried to sound calm, even when the people in the hall were staring and whispering at them. She even heard some girls saying 'slut' or something. "I thought the student council had a meeting today."

He smiled, and on cue, Haruka heard some high-pitched squeals. She turned around accusingly; girls were talking to each other, 'minding their own businesses'. She sighed and faced the bluenet in front of her. He asked if there was something wrong, she shook her head and told him to continue.

"It was cancelled because of the upcoming exams next week." He explained. "The teachers said we should start reviewing so… yes."

Haruka nodded. "I… see."

"Speaking of exams," He brought up out of nowhere. "Would you like me to tutor you?"

Haruka gasped, she also heard some gasps around her. She turned around once again, glaring at the nosy girls around them. They decided to back off, walking away from them. The rosette sighed; it was disturbing how they didn't have any privacy whenever they were talking.

"Um… you don't need to." Haruka forced a smile. "I'm fine on my—"

'_Ungrateful bitch,' _Someone whispered behind her.

'_I know right,' _Someone's friend snorted. '_Tokiya-sama was willing to help her even with his busy schedule and yet she's… tch!'_

The rosette felt a nerve popping on her head. Seriously, she _didn't _need it! As mentioned before, she's always at the top 10 when her results come out. So it was really unnecessary for her to—wait a minute, Ichinose-san is the top of their year. Maybe she could get some tips for the upcoming college exams…

"Yes," She smiled brightly. "I would appreciate your help."

Tokiya smiled and patted her on the head.

"I'm glad." He sighed in relief. "I really wanted to spend time with you. We've been dating for four months and yet we still haven't gone to our first date. We only spend time together only at school… And I'm afraid to say we _barely_ spend time together even here. So to hear that you're fine with it… makes me happy."

Haruka felt blood rushing to her face. "I-is that so?" Even if she doesn't have those fan girl feelings for him, she's not going to lie that he makes her heart skip a beat on a lot of occasions. Especially times like this when he's being serious.

"You live alone, right?"

She didn't know why he was asking this, but she nodded anyway. Her father was already dead, while her mother has her new family abroad. She grew in the countryside with her grandma, but now she got accepted in a good high school in the city, her mother was willing to pay for her rent on her own apartment.

"Then it's decided!" Tokiya declared. The rosette wondered if she missed something while she was daydreaming for a few second. "We're going to study at your room on Sunday!"

"_WHAT?!" _They all said in unison.

Haruka closed her mouth, she didn't even bother to say anything. The fan girls already said her thoughts out loud.

The bluent blinked innocently. "Is it me or are they listening to our conversation?"

_If you only knew…_

* * *

**Author's Note: **How is it guys? Is it worthy to be continued? This is just a trial, so please tell me your reactions. Reviews are always welcome! Criticism is even _better_! But don't flame me. I get easily hurt, so please don't tell me to 'kill myself' or 'this shit is written by some teenage brat!'. Gladly, I'll tell you that I am xD Haha. Lol. I'm just joking. Really. It's fine. Now, reviews pleasee!


	2. Chapter 2

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter Two:

Her everyday life

Nanami Haruka woke up with a yawn.

She started her day at exactly 6 in the morning, prepared her food and cooked it, while waiting for her toast to get finished she would go to the bathroom and take a bath. At the exact time she finished changing to her school uniform, the toaster would ring, and after a few minutes, the oven as well, which meant her blueberry muffin and toast was done. She sighed, returning back to her kitchen to get her food. She placed her breakfast on a plate, before putting that plate on the table. She went to the sink, soaped her hands and washed it. After patting her hands dry, she went to get a chair, dragging it on the ground to create much noise as possible, before sitting on it.

"_Itadakimasu_…" The rosette said to no one in particular, digging in.

In other words, it was another normal day for the rosette.

Haruka lived alone since she started high school in Saotome Academy, since it was in the city she was forced to transfer here and leave her grandmother behind in the countryside.

The school was famous for its high-quality education and its good standards, most students would dream on studying in this prestigious school while she enrolled here because she found out that her deceased father used to study here.

…Her parents?

It was mentioned before that her father died when Haruka was still a young girl. She doesn't really remember much about him, aside from she knew that he was a good father. Her grandmother, the mother of her father, told Haruka that his father was a great surgeon. He was also smart.

_Just like you_. Obaa-chan's voice echoed in her head.

Haruka stood up and opened her fridge, taking out a bottle of water before sipping on it.

While her mother, as sad as it may sound, the rosette knew _nothing _about her!

Judging by how her aunts and uncles used to treat her, Haruka guessed that she was a bastard. As soon as she was born, her mother probably shove her to her father's arm and ran off to God knows where. Haruka found out that she's currently living abroad, with her own happy family.

Haruka was completely forgotten.

She returned back to her chair, continuing her meal.

The rosette has never even seen her in real life; she only had a glimpse of her from the old photos her father stored in the attic of their old house. If Obaa-chan told her she had the brains of her father, Haruka admitted she had the looks of her mother. She had this long fiery red hair just like her. Judging by the smile on her face as they posed for the picture, Haruka guessed that she was a cheerful person. A cheerful person who didn't use her head, who got into trouble, who made a stupid mistake and couldn't handle it so she irresponsibly left Haruka to her father's care.

Haruka doesn't plan to be like her.

_Ever_.

As much as possible, she wanted to be like her dad. Otou-san was smart, he was responsible! He saved many people as a surgeon, and most importantly… he saved _Haruka_.

Ever wondered why Haruka's eyes were an odd shade of yellow? She was born _blind_. Well, not _completely_ blind, but might as well be. What did she mean by that? Well, do you know that feeling when water gets into your eye? Your sight gets kind of blurry, right? But in Haruka's case, no matter how many times she blinked, that 'water' didn't disappear. Because it didn't exist in the first place. As she grew older, her condition got worse. It went from 'water in her eyes' to 'opening her eyes while face was submerged on water'. To those people who don't know that feeling, it gets blurry at first but your sights clears up once your eyes adjust to it, but imagine that under that water was an unending darkness. You can see shapes that are moving, but you really don't know what they are.

It wasn't really her father, who operated on her, for Otou-san was a specialist on brain surgery, it was one of his friends from work. But Haruka knew that if it weren't for his influence, no one would try to study her condition and everyone would have branded her as 'hopeless'.

So she wanted to thank her father by following his foot-steps, starting from studying on the same school he used to study at. She wanted to help some helpless girl like her, bringing her hope that she can actually live a normal life—

"_Piyo-piyo_!" Her phone rang. "You're going to be late! Piyo!"

Haruka blinked, fishing out her phone in order to check the time. 7:20, it said. How she wasted so much time just thinking about her parents, that she doesn't know. She shook her head, returning her phone on the pockets of her pleated skirt. She dumped her plates on the dishwasher, washing her hands on the faucet. She went inside her bathroom and brushed her teeth. After that, she went to her study table and took her school bag. She ran out of the house, closing the door behind her.

_I'll be taking my leave_.

* * *

Haruka walked every day to school.

It was really uneventful. Nothing peculiar happened. She didn't meet up with her friends on her way, because her only friend was Shibuya Tomochika. Waiting for her wasn't really a good idea because she often wakes up late…

Hm? How did she manage to befriend such girl?

…How did she? Now did she think about it, they just became friends… _naturally_. They were seatmates back on their freshman year and Haruka guessed… they grew on each other?

Tomochika was the opposite of Haruka. Tomo-chan was this confident and cheerful ray of sunshine. She was outgoing and friendly to anyone, she also had great taste in clothes. Haruka found out that she had a lot of boyfriend since middle school, which made her a 'love expert' in class.

If this was some cliché romance comedy, you'd expect Tomo-chan to be the heroine of the story. While as usual, the silent types like Haruka are just some unimportant background characters who were only here just because the story would suck with just a small amount of cast.

The rosette sighed.

But even if Haruka was just some unimportant background character or some stupid NPC in some game, it didn't really matter. As long as she served her role, then it's fine. As long as her role promised a simple life then she's fine with it.

She's happy the way she is.

Without even knowing it, she finally arrived at the school gate. And as expected…

"Nanami-san." Ichinose Tokiya said calmly.

"_O-o-ohayou…_" Haruka greeted shyly. "Ichinose-san."

It must have shocked most of you, how different she talks in her mind and how she talks with other people. In her mind, she sounded like some down to earth chick. But in real life, she's this shy girl who would rather die than speak her thoughts aloud.

As usual, Tokiya would offer to take her bag. And as usual, Haruka would decline the offer. Honestly, she didn't understand why he keeps on asking this question to her everyday morning if he knew what her answer would be.

"Let's go?" He asked.

The rosette nodded.

* * *

This school year, they got into the same class. While sadly, Tomo-chan was in another section. Every morning, they would walk their way to their classroom. No one would say anything; they would just walk in total _silence_.

If Haruka was the bubbly type, this would have irked her. Actually, if she was a _normal_ person, walking with him every morning with this deafening silence would be _extremely_ awkward. But she was the person who preferred the silence so this was like how usually walks to her class alone. Most of the time, she would _forget_ that Tokiya was walking beside her until—

"_Kaichou_!" A voice from behind them called.

As usual, one of the student council's messengers would go to him and inform him that once again, there were some issues in the student council. It seemed because the meeting yesterday was cancelled, a problem from before has yet to be resolved. The bluenet sighed, excused himself and leave. Haruka continued her way to their classroom, but now that she was alone, the people around her openly gossiped about her.

"I really don't understand why Tokiya-sama's dating her…" Somewhere on the left of the hallway said.

"I know right."

The rosette sighed, ignoring them. Like the _usual_. She didn't understand how they got the energy to gossip about her _every _single morning; it was tiring even for Haruka. But let them talk all they want, as long as they didn't do anything that would physically harm her then everything's fine.

Haruka opened her classroom door, muttering a soft '_ohayou_'. And like the usual, no one would greet back. She headed to her sit in silence, not minding that no one cared for her arrival.

After a few minutes, it was almost time. Almost everyone was present, except the teacher, Tokiya, and the other members of the student council. Haruka wondered what the student council was doing that they needed its members so early in the morning

"_Ohayou, Kaichou_!" One energetic voice shouted out loud.

Everyone turned to the door; there the handsome president was standing. Everyone shouted their greetings, showing their respect to the guy. Tokiya would smile, wave his hand, and greet politely.

"_Ohayou, minna-san_."

Cue, fan girls squealed. While Haruka remained on her desk, silent as ever. His blue eyes paused to look at her, smiling. She smiled back, before returning to what she was previously doing: staring at nothing in particular.

Seriously, this has been really bothering her. Is it _normal _for people dating to do that? The only interaction they have was walk their way to class, but it would always be cut short due to some emergency. When they're in the classroom, all they do was smile when one was caught looking at another but they never talked unless they needed something from each other. Which, apparently, was almost _never_.

Haruka never had a relationship before. Heck, she doesn't even _talk _to the opposite gender before because all they did to her when she was younger was teased her with her abnormal eyes! So now… she's dating someone… they just seemed like an odd pair. Ichinose-san never said anything about this so she assumed it was alright…

"Stand up!" The class representative ordered, everyone followed. It seemed like the teacher has already arrived.

And so another day at school started. This was her every day life.

* * *

**Updated on 9/14/14**

Tranlsations:

_Itadakimasu_\- it's the same as saying 'grace' before eating. 'Let's eat' would be an easier but somehow a rather far translation.

_Ohayou_\- good morning

_Kaichou_\- president

_Minna-san_\- polite way of saying everyone

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Hi guys. Sorry for not updating in a long while. Life's... a little hard on me lately. So if you've realized, the 'humor' (I'm _trying _to be funny, I _trying_) here disappeared completely. SO guys, this chapter shows, as mentioned in the title, Haruka's every day life. I would love to go to the _ichaicha _moments as fast as possible, but don't you prefer seeing a bit more of our heroine?

I also want to emphasize how 'non-existent' their interactions are. You know, Haruka being the social awkward girl she is, while Tokiya... you can guess for now because I'm still not planning to show his personality until some 'occurrence' happens.

I think it's obvious, but I'm planning to give Haruka a _personality. _No one deserved to be a doormat, what they did to her in the anime was mean. Seriously.

Sorry for the mistakes in this chapter, I was trying to write this while listening to a K radio show. Dude, I was _sure_ it was K and then Sugita suddenly mentioned Uta no Prince-sama, and Miyano was like, 'Maji de?' while Sawashiro was '1000%!' Needless to say, I could barely understand them but it was amusing while it lasted. Oh yes, I while ago, I watched this DURARARA! (Did I miss any -ra?) live event and was amused to see Miyano and Sawashiro acting like lovers xD They were so cute, it would have been believable if I didn't know the fact that Miyano has married someone since, i dunno, 5 years ago. He also has a son. But still, somwhere in my mind, MiyanoxSawashiro is canon, which immediately makes TokiXHaru canon as well xD


	3. Chapter 3

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter Three:

Say my name

And before she knew it, it was already Sunday.

Nanami Haruka released a sigh, taking out the newly baked chocolate chip cookies from the oven. She grabbed a few plates from the cupboard and placed it on the table. Using the holder, she carefully placed the sweets on the plate. Once she was done, she went to her fridge and took out two slices of strawberry shortcakes and two sans rival, placing them beside the cookies. She also prepared the glasses, but decided to keep the fresh orange juice inside the fridge until Ichinose Tokiya arrived. Once she was done, she stared on all the food she laid on her kitchen counter.

You might have realized all of them were sweets. As sad as it may sound, Haruka _didn't know_ what kind of food Tokiya likes to eat. Yes, she knew she was an embarrassment as a girlfriend. But honestly, she didn't have the guts to ask him. It's _stupid, _she knew. She can't ask her boyfriend what's his favorite food just because she's _scared_ of him and she doesn't know how to get comfortable around each other. Honestly, the rosette admitted she still felt nervous around him. 'Nervous' in a sense of 'I-am-in-a-presence-of-a-stranger' kind of way, not 'nervous' in an 'I-am-with-the-person-I-love' feeling.

She admits that she has a hard time talking with other people. Heck, even reciting in front of class suffocated her. She liked acting as a 'silent character' because no one would notice her no matter what. But with Tokiya, she thought it was wrong to do the same so therefore she acted _more _stiff around the guy. If Haruka acts like some robot around other people, imagine what she does whenever she's with Tokiya. Her only actions around him were this: force a smile, force a laugh, keep silent, answer politely, force a smile, force a laugh, keep silent, and answer politely again.

Most girls would want to be in her shoes, Tomo-chan would always remind her whenever Haruka tells her about the hardships of going out with Tokiya. But can you blame her, she doesn't have feelings for the guy and yet she's forced to be his girlfriend for _Kami-sama_ knows the reason why! It also wasn't helping that she started getting bullied because of their non-existent love for each other. Maybe the bluenet has feelings for her, but for Haruka… just _nothing_.

Maybe she would slowly gain feelings for him if she knew something about him aside from, she doesn't know, his _name_. Like his birthday, his age, his favorite food, whatever. Just _anything_! This was frustrating for her! Heck, she knew more about the life of Shakespeare than this man! In the first place, she wanted to know why he asked her out-

Her doorbell rang; Haruka removed her gloves and hanged it.

"_Ma-machinasai_!" She shouted weakly, the former strong voice in her head disappeared and was replaced by an ever so shy girl.

She headed towards the door and opened it, there in front of her stood Ichinose Tokiya.

He smiled gently at her, that usual smile he had only when in front of her. Her heart couldn't help but beat fast again, nervousness was eating her away. Here he was again, with his _radiance_. He was wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and blue sneakers. This was the first time Haruka saw him wearing his normal clothes; he looked model-like no matter what he wore. Because of this, the rosette felt conscious with her looks. It only occurred to her now that she didn't bother change her clothes, she only wore her usual house clothes. She was just wearing a pink t-shirt with a Piyo-chan design and blue shorts. Haruka was never the type to dress up, and she wasn't like Tomo-chan who made her clothes looked trendy just because _she _was the one wearing it.

"C-c-come in…" Haruka whispered.

Tokiya nodded, "Sorry for intruding," He said politely before taking off his shoes and placing them on the shoe rack. She handed out some guest slippers to him, he took it with a 'thanks' and wore it.

The rosette closed the door behind them; it made her even more nervous because she realized that they were truly alone now. She made a gesture, telling him to go inside. Tokiya nodded, entering her apartment. Now that she thinks of it, she didn't fix her apartment beforehand! She was too busy preparing for their snacks that she forgot to—

"You have a nice place, Nanami-san." He said, looking at her furniture with great interest. "It's pure and simple, just like you."

Haruka blushed, rubbing the back of her head. "T-thank you… I…"

She looked at her room, she was happy to say she takes good care of her apartment. Though it wasn't really big, but it was enough for a single teenager like her. As soon as you enter her apartment, you'll immediately a TV and a white sofa and a table in front of it. A few steps away from the sofa were her study table, as well as her bed. There was also a door, leading to her rest room. On the right, there's the kitchen and the dining room. Just that. Nothing too grand, but it contained all the necessities she needed in order to live.

"It's amazing how you can live in an apartment on your own." Tokiya said as he sat on the sofa, placing his backpack on the table and bringing what seemed like notes and reviewers he made for her. "Don't you get lonely sometimes?"

"I-it can't be helped." Haruka whispered politely. "I got accepted in a famous school in the city, so I of course I have to transfer here... Though I admit, I get a little… l-lonely sometimes. I just keep in mind that Obaa-chan is cheering me on so I c-can pass through anything!"

"Wow." Tokiya rubbed his chin in amazement.

The rosette blinked, unable to comprehend his reaction.

"D-d-did I say something w-weird?" The rosette squeaked nervously.

He shook his head, she sighed in relief. When she was younger, most people would tell her that she always say things that doesn't make sense or just plain stupid for her age to say. So when she grew older, she learned to keep her thoughts to herself. But when someone asks her for things like that, she can't help but say what she truly felt.

"It's not that." Tokiya smiled. "I'm just surprised… that you're quite a _naïve_ person!"

Haruka deadpanned.

He smiled again.

After a few seconds, her reaction came.

Red eyebrows furrowed, cheeks puffing up and plump lips formed a pout. Hands formed a fist; slippers stomped angrily on the ground.

"_T-t-that's rather rude of you, Ichinose-san_!" Haruka shouted, her voice was so high her voice cracked. She blushed and turned away, covering her lips. "No, I-I'm s-s-sorry I—"

"This was the first time I heard you speak a lot."

Golden eyes dilated, Haruka was taken aback. "Uhm, t-that's…"

"I thought it was normal for you." The bluenet said. "That you always speak so little and you always stumble with your words."

The rosette played with the hem of her shirt, avoiding eye contact as much as possible. So it _wasn't_ normal! It wasn't normal to have a non-existent conversation with your boyfriend. Knowing Tokiya, he probably was trying to be nice and wasn't forcing her to speak. It really was _her _fau-

"But you were just holding back. _Especially _when you're with me."

Haruka stopped, like a deer caught in the headlights. Slowly, she looked up to meet his gaze. That was the exact word. _Holding back_. He was looking at her with a sad expression on his face. Abruptly, he stood up and grabbed her wrist.

"Why, Nanami-san?" His grip on her wrist tightened. "Why are you holding back? Aren't I your boyfriend? Shouldn't you be more relaxed around me—"

"It's because I'm around you that's why I get even more tensed."

Sapphire eyes widened, a soft gasp escaped from his lips. Haruka bit her lips; she refused to look at him.

_There._

She said it.

Because he's asking for it, she won't hold back anymore. She's going to say it no matter what his reaction will be.

"I-I, mean think of it." Haruka whispered. "The first time we talked was the time you asked me out! You didn't even let me think about it, I think you already _knew _that you're going to win so… don't you think you were being unfair? And now we're d-d-d-dating," _Talk about stammering too much_. "But we don't know that much a-about each other. We're practically _strangers_ if you look at it realistically. So please don't expect me to act like how I usually act around my friends because I think of you now more than any other person I'm not close with."

There was a moment of silence. The hand around her wrist slowly loosened, until he completely removed it and it fell silently to his side. The rosette screamed internally. She was too honest, right? She _was_, right? Was Tokiya offended with what she said? Of course he is, you idiot! Oh no, this was the reason why she preferred being silent!

"But tell me, Nanami."

Haruka looked up, her eyes meeting his. Upon seeing his expression, she immediately regretted what she said. His blue eyes were hard, as if angry but depressed at the same time. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, which showed that he was displeased. But even if his expression was a mix of all heavy emotions, his tone was incredibly calm. It was scary.

"Do you… love me?"

She blinked slowly, unable to process what he just said.

"Eh?"

"Please." He closed his eyes, looking down. "Be honest with me."

Haruka gulped. She inhaled and exhaled, wondering if it was right to say this. But he was asking for it, right? In her 17 years of living, this was probably the first time someone asked her to be honest with anyone. She should say it. She _must_.

"No." She shook her head. "It's hard to love someone you barely even know. "

There was another moment of silence. Haruka wondered if she was too hard on him. Who knows, maybe it'll turn him off or something.

Suddenly, he laughed.

Haruka blinked. That came out of nowhere.

"You're unexpectedly harsh, Nanami."

The rosette looked down, a blush on her face.

"I-it's unfair, Ichinose-san." She whispered. "That you're asking me this all of a sudden. How about you, why did you a-a-ask me out in the first place?"

"I don't know."

"_YOU DON'T KNOW?!"_

Tokiya laughed again, the rosette glared at him. "This is the second time in this day that you shouted at me!"

Haruka looked away, a blush on her face. "I-it's not my fault. I thought you were a calm, reasonable person. But it turns out… you're like _this_."

"Don't worry; _I _thought you were this silent, shy maiden. But it turns out, you're like this."

An angry nerve popped on Haruka's head.

"Well, I'm sorry I'm not what you expected!"

"Indeed." He replied calmly. "You _really _aren't what I expected."

Golden eyes widen, she opened her mouth to retort but was stopped when she felt a pair of arms wrap around body. Every witty thing she wanted to say flew out of the window when she inhaled his scent. It was… so_ Ichinose-san_. It was making her light-headed.

"But I love you even more because of it."

Haruka stood frozen; her face became a bright shade of pink. W-was that a love confession? T-t-omo-chan used to tell her that hearing the words 'I love you' isn't that great as she thought, but she beg to differ. This was… making her twitterpated.

"I love you, even if you don't. But I'll do everything to change your mind." Even if she couldn't see face, she was sure that Tokiya smiled. "I'm not asking you to love me immediately… I want you to fall for me slowly as you learn different things about me." Tokiya cupped her face, making her look at him. "You said that you can't love me now because you don't know anything about me… then, let's fix it. Ask me anything and I'm going to tell you."

Haruka stared. This was sudden. _As if their relationship itself wasn't sudden_, she thought. She blushed, looking down. Well, he did say she can ask anything so she might as well do it. This has been bothering her for a while, so she should just ask him straight out.

"Do you like sweets?"

Tokiya blinked. Hesitantly, he shook his head.

"No… As much as possible, I don't eat them."

Haruka's mouth fell open. She took a few steps back away from him and face palmed.

"Something wrong?" Tokiya asked nervously.

"All the snacks I prepared for you are sweets." She answered glumly, dark aura emitted from her body. "I even went through all the effort to buy them yesterday…"

"Eh?" He sweat dropped. "N-no, it's alright… I'll eat them."

Haruka looked at him with glittering eyes. "_Really_?"

He smiled and nodded.

She beamed at him, before going straight to the kitchen.

"How about let's eat first before we study?" She suggested. "I'm getting kind of hungry…"

"Whatever you prefer." Tokiya smiled. "Either way, you're already taking out the snacks to there's no point for me to say this."

Haruka chuckled, carrying the plate on both hands. On her left hand was the plate of cookies, while on her right was the cakes.

"Do you want me to help you?" The bluenet asked politely.

Haruka shook her head, placing the cakes on the table. Tokiya stared in awe, dumbfounded on the number of sweets on the table.

"You're not joking when you said all of them were sweets." He said, sitting on the sofa.

Haruka smiled, before sitting right next to him. She took a piece of cookie from the plate, munching on it. "Because you know, eating food with carbohydrates can help you study a lot because it makes the brain active."

"Hm." Tokiya nodded. "But it can also make you gain weight. Most girls of your age are careful with what they eat while you…"

He faltered, seeing that the rosette was devouring the cookies like some animal.

"Hfer you syain' sumthingrh?" Haruka said, bits of cookies were on her face.

"Eat like a pig…"

Red eyebrows furrowed, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Well, unlike _those girls that are the same age as I_," Haruka grumbled. "I actually know that millions of people in the world are starving, so because Kami-sama was kind and gave me the privilege to eat, I'm eating as much as I can _for _those people who are starving!"

"You're just making things up so you can get away with your gluttonous ways!" Tokiya sighed, rubbing his temples in annoyance. "And don't you think those people who are starving are angrier with what you're doing?"

Haruka looked away, pouting. She grabbed another cookie from the plate, eating again. The bluenet thought there was no use lecturing her, so he decided to dig in. He took a cookie from the plate and ate it.

"Wow." Eyes widened in awe. "This is good! Where did you buy them?"

"'Baked them." Haruka answered, licking her fingers to clean off any crumbs.

"Really?" Tokiya gaped. "You know how to cook?"

She nodded.

"Obaa-chan thought me before I went to study here."

The bluenet '_hm'_-ed, eating the cookie in silence. After a few seconds, the rosette spoke.

"Somehow…" Tokiya looked at her, only to see a blush on her face. "Talking like this with you feels nice."

He smiled. "Me too. I've always wanted to hear you talk normally. You were always so nervous around me."

The blush on Haruka's face darkened.

"It can't be helped!" She said defensively. "You're this popular guy at school while I'm…"

Tokiya looked at her, only to see that her expression darkened. He knew what she was going to say, 'a nobody'. He scooted over, placing his arm around her shoulders.

"An awesome girlfriend." He whispered to her ear, making her shiver. She pushed him away, the bluenet chuckled.

"_Please don't say that word so recklessly_."

"What word?" Tokiya feigned ignorance.

"_T-that_ word…" Haruka blushed again.

"Oh, you mean g—"

The rosette shoved her hand on his face, stopping him from saying anything embarrassing. She stood up, deciding to do something to get his teasing over with.

"I'm going to grab some spoon and some glasses for our drinks." She went to the kitchen and grabbed some utensils.

Tokiya smiled, now that they're somehow closer, he felt like teasing her over and over again.

"Why didn't you take bring them out a while ago?" He pointed.

"As you may remember," The rosette answered from the kitchen, there was a hint of annoyance in her voice. "My hands were full a while ago."

"Your hands became full as soon as you became my _girlfriend._"

"_ICHINOSE-SAN_!"

Tokiya laughed, while the rosette continued to grumble. He then looked at the reviewers he brought out a while ago, proud of his hard work. He hoped that Haruka will learn a lot from this and help her have a higher grade. After a few minutes, Haruka has yet to return. He wondered what happened.

"Nanami-san?" He called out, standing up from the sofa. "Are you okay?"

"Yes!" Haruka shouted, she was tiptoeing as she rummaged through the cupboard. "Just… having a hard time… getting the glass… Can't reach it…"

He smirked. "Because you're short?"

"_You're so mean!_" She shouted again. "I actually _can _reach it! Here, I—"

* * *

Because Haruka was trying hard, she managed to grab the glass. Only for it to slip from her hand.

_Crash_

Golden eyes widened. Oh no, this was Obaa-chan's gift for her after she got accepted in Saotome! She knelt down, taking the shards on the—

"Ouch!" Haruka winced. She looked at her finger and saw a trail of red. She grimaced and went to the sink. She placed the other glass on the counter as she rinsed her hand to clean any bacteria that may-

"You're bleeding." Tokiya whispered to her ear.

Her back immediately straightened. She turned around warily, how did he get here in a blink of an eye? She didn't even hear any footsteps—

"Lemme clean yer hand."

Before she could protest, Tokiya grabbed her hand and placed it inside his mouth. Haruka gasped, blood rushing to her face.

"_Ichinose-san_!" She squeaked. "You don't have to do that! As you can see, I'm already—_ah_!"

An unwanted moan escaped from her lips when she felt Tokiya's tongue lick each and every finger in her hand. As he was doing it, he was looking at him with a teasing look on his face. Haruka started feeling weird.

"I saw ya a while." He whispered while he sucked. "Didn't ya lick these fingers when ya were eating those cookies? Were ya perhaps teasing me a while ago?"

Haruka shook her head. "T-That wasn't my—_ah!—_intention!"

He chuckled and finally stopped. The rosette sighed in relief, if he continues this she might not take it anymore and—

Tokiya pulled her closer, burying his face on the curve of her neck. She shivered as she felt his warm breath against her skin.

"That's a nice sound coming from yer lips." He started sucking on her neck, Haruka gasped again. "_Iyarashii no koe_."

The rosette blushed, looking away. He laughed darkly, grabbing her face and forcing her to look at him. She struggled, her whole body was shaking.

"W-what are you doing?" She whispered. "Ichinose-san?"

Tokiya smirked, crushing her jaw and forcing her mouth open. Haruka groaned, tears were falling from her eyes.

"I'm not the Ichinose you knew."

She continued failing against his grip, hands on his chest as she pushed him away. Why was he doing this? Why was Ichinose-san forcing himself on her?

"_Hora~!_" He leaned, just a few more centimeters and their lips would've touched. "Say my name, Ha-ru-ka-chaaan~!"

"W-wha aah yo… sayin…?" Haruka tried to speak, but it was hard because of the hands on her jaw.

"_Just do it_." His grip tightened, the rosette moaned in pain. "If ya got it right, Imma gonna set ya free~! But if ya wrong… Imma _punish_ ya~"

She didn't know what he was planning, but decided to play along. She nodded; Tokiya removed his hand on her jaw so that she can speak properly. She gulped before the forming saliva in her mouth before answering.

"Ichinose Tokiya-san."

Suddenly he grabbed her wrist and dragged her towards her room; Haruka was pushed to her bed. Golden eyes widen, she knew where this was going.

"_Zannennagara…_" He said in a sing-song voice. "You got it wrong."

A hand crept under her shirt, while another went to unbutton her shorts. Haruka panicked, tears falling from her eyes. She knew it was stupid in the first place to let a man inside her apartment, but she expected too much from Tokiya. She thought he was a gentleman who wouldn't do such things… but she was wrong. This was…

"I bet ya haven't done it with him, right?" Tokiya sucked on her neck, leaving red marks behind. "Knowing how much of an uptight bastard he is- Oi! Don't struggle damn it!"

He grabbed her hands and forced it on the headboard. Haruka continued crying, she couldn't believe this was happening to her! Ichinose-san… they were talking and laughing a while ago! Then suddenly… why was he doing this?

"Don't make such a face, Ha-ru-ka-chan~!" He whispered, trying to sound gentle. But she knew better. "Ya should be glad your first time is with me, because if it was with him… I promise ya he's such a cherry boy, _nyaa_! But with me… I'm gonna make ya scream and moan for more until midnight comes, _nyaa_!"

Should she be glad about this? What the heck is wrong with him?! Who was 'he'?! WHY WAS TOKIYA TALKING WITH A 'nyaa' IN THE END OF EACH SENTENCE?!

"Hm… Ya should at least know who's going to take yer first time." He stopped what he was doing; instead he looked at her with a cheerful smile. "The name's _Hayato-han_! _Yoroshiku~!_"

"Fuck you."

"Nah-ah!" The bluenet wagged a finger. "It's you who's going to be fucked, _nyahahaha_!"

Haruka gritted her teeth. With all the strength she had, she raised her legs and kicked him.

"_A-bunaiii, nyaa!"_ Because of some miracle, he managed to dodge her kick. "You shouldn't be—_nyaa!"_

She continued kicking like an idiot. She didn't even know what she was planning to kick; she just went on some kicking spree. After some intense struggling, Haruka accidentally knocked out a picture frame on the wall. How her kick managed to reach that high, that she didn't know. Anyway, the picture frame fell from its handle and it landed to the floor with a loud crash. The sound of glass breaking echoed throughout the room.

It surprised both of them, neither moved for a while. After a few seconds, Tokiya looked down. Blue orbs widened, he scrambled off the bed like _Haruka _was the one who tried to rape him. The rosette fixed herself, staring at the male who was currently looking at her in horror.

"Ichinose-san…" She whispered.

"I'm sorry." He cried. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. _I'm sorry_!"

Haruka went out of bed, she tried to get closer but Tokiya shouted at her.

"Please don't come any closer!" He covered his face. "I don't want to hurt you. Pleae. I'm sorry. That wasn't me. That wasn't me. Please believe me!"

She blinked.

_Okay, this was a weird turn of events._

* * *

**Updated on 9/14/14**

**Author's Notes:**

_Machinasai_\- wait a minute.

_Iyarashii no koe- _such a sexy voice or such a dirty voice.

_Hora- _look or here.

_Zannennagara- _that's too bad.

_Yoroshiku_\- please take care of me.

_Abunaii_\- that's dangerous


	4. Chapter 4

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter Four:

A game called avoidance

Slender fingers ran against the red marks on her pale neck, Nanami Haruka couldn't help but sigh. She grabbed a scarf from her drawer and wrapped it around herself. Good thing it was almost autumn, people wouldn't judge her clothing style. If it was still summer, no doubt they'll think of her as odd. As if she wasn't in the first place.

After the near-rape incident, Ichinose Tokiya ran out from the apartment. While Haruka was left dumbfounded, still sitting on her bed. After she got over her shock, she continued her Sunday like what they were supposed to do: review for the exam. Because of the reviewer Tokiya has left behind, it was much easier to study. Whenever she stopped to take a break, her mind would go to what happened a while ago.

"Ichinose-san was acting weird…" The rosette whispered, rummaging through her bag as she fixed her things before she went to school.

When he first arrived at the apartment, Tokiya was acting like his usual-self. When they started talking, he was more carefree than his usual stern and cold aura he emitted. But maybe it was because they were out of school; Haruka guessed that he needed to act like a role-model student in front of the other students…

The rosette shook her head.

That's not the point! After that, Tokiya had a complete flip of personality. Haruka blushed just thinking about it. He… sucked on her fingers in a very erotic way, running his tongue around her fingers while looking at her with such an intense gaze…

Haruka buried her face inside her bag, hiding her embarrassment.

At first, she thought he was just teasing her. It made her happy, that Tokiya was showing his _true _side to her. That the cold and perfect _kaichou_ can actually play around with his girlfriend… But she realized that something was wrong when he said started sucking on her neck. She thought it was odd, that a few minutes before that, Tokiya said that he'll wait for her to fall in love with him. But suddenly, he was doing that? And let's add the fact he started hurting her, crushing her jaw and forcing her mouth open.

But what she really thought was weird was when he told her to say his name. Of course, she said 'Ichinose Tokiya'. Then he pushed her on her bed and told her she was wrong. This was when things got _really ugly_. By this time, Haruka noticed that he was speaking with a 'nyaa' after each sentence. Like a person with a _kansai_ accent. He also mentioned someone being a 'cherry boy' and uptight. But what boggled her mind was this:

"The name's Hayato-han! _Yoroshiku~!_"

* * *

As usual, Haruka walked her way to school.

She was contemplating whether to talk to Tokiya or not. What do rape victims do after they get raped? Do they… avoid their assailant or do they talk to them or something? Obviously, it was the former. Haruka has never been raped before, so she didn't know. Not like she ever thought she'll get raped, anyway.

She arrived in front of the school gate. A part of her was expecting that Tokiya would be standing there, for some reason. It has been their morning routine to wait for each other, so to find him gone was a little…

The rosette entered the gates silently.

Walking along the hallways of the school without him by her side made her feel lonely. Isn't it weird, when something's gone then will you realize how important it was to you?

"_Kaichou!_"

Golden eyes widened, shoulders grew stiff. She slowly turned around, making sure if he's _really _there. Indeed, there he was. He was smiling professionally, talking to a student in a calm voice. It was weird, seeing him like this. Tokiya was _so _different yesterday… he was so relaxed. Haruka was glad that he showed his true side to her. His teasing but sweet side. He—

… _Tried to rape me_.

Haruka gasped, all the memories from yesterday came crashing to her mind. He was so scary, talking in that manner. Threatening her that he'll do something to her. Just the mere thought of it sent shivers to her spines.

_But there was something wrong. _She said to herself. _He was _acting _wrong._

It would be Haruka's decision whether to ran away in fear or confront him for what happened. She knew it would not make sense if she talked to him, saying 'So, about yesterday, you tried raping me' or something. But if she didn't, things would remain unresolved.

She knew _she_ was unusual. Normal victims would not hesitate to run away from the spot upon hearing the name of their attackers. But something _just wasn't right_. Ichinose Tokiya wasn't the type to do such things, she knew!

She trusted him.

And the words that he said after attacking her. Haruka knew he was saying the truth.

'_That wasn't me'_

"_Ichinose-san_."

Blue eyes widened, he spun around upon hearing his name. His expression was a mixture of shock and confusion upon seeing her face. The rosette waved her hands awkwardly, unsure what to say after calling him.

"Ichinose-san," Haruka repeated. "I—"

He took a step back and turned around, running away from the scene as fast as possible. Everyone stared at him as he passed by, maybe because he looked like he was running away from a Titan or simply because it's against the rules to run around the hallway and yet he, the student council president, was doing it. Either way, the rosette stood dumbfounded, hands fell silently to her side.

_He's avoiding me…?_

* * *

The whole day, Haruka tried talking to Tokiya. But to no avail.

Every time she tried, he would immediately feel her presence nearby and walk away. Even when they got in a group activity, Tokiya just _refused _to talk to her at all cost.

_This was ridiculous! _Haruka wanted to scream. _He__ tried to rape me and yet he had the AUDACITY to avoid me the whole day?!_

She decided to wait until lunch time until she attempts to talk to him again.

But even _before_ **freaking** lunch time came…

"Members of the student council…" The school speakers rang aloud, catching everyone's attention. "Please proceed to the student council room immediately."

In their class, there were two members from the council. Of course, you have Ichinose Tokiya, the president. And also Shinomiya Natsuki, the treasurer. Both of them stood up, excused themselves, and left the room.

"Just great…" Haruka face-desked.

The whole afternoon, they didn't return. It seemed like they didn't have the time for another meeting this week because the exams will start on Wednesday, so they decided to finish all the planning today.

What were they planning for?

The school festival, _of course!_

"_Minna_!" Ringo-sensei chirped, clasping his hands together. "You should all do your best in the school festival for our student council! The teachers talked to them to take a breakbecause we have exams this week, but they insisted on finishing all their planning today to make sure that our school festival is a success! Our student council this year is as good as last year, I'm glad they're all responsible!"

The class started murmuring.

"As expected from this year's student council!"

"Not only are they hot but also responsible!"

"Don't you think they're just skipping classes…?"

"I think so, too…"

"SHUT UP, YOU LOSER! You're just jealous of our Tokiya-sama!"

"And Natsuki-sama!"

"Why you…!"

"Okay everyone!" The feminine teacher clapped loudly, catching their attention. "Let's continue our discussion!"

Haruka sighed, looking outside the window.

_I need to talk to him_…

Before she knew it, Ringo-sensei's class ended. She didn't even know what it was; she was busy worrying about what happened yesterday. After his class, it was Ryuuya-sensei's turn.

Most students felt intimidated with this guy. Well, who wouldn't? He was a teacher with a great build and a very handsome face. You might accidentally mistake him for an action star or something; rumor has it he really _was_. Either way, try guessing what subject he's teaching. Great body meant physical education, right? But sadly, no. He was teaching _mathematics_. Haruka always found it funny, how this scary muscle-man teacher was teaching this kind of subject. Either way, he is a great teacher who knew how to teach his stuff efficiently so Haruka had no complaints.

"I forgot to bring your last quiz papers…" Ryuuya-sensei scratched the back of his head. "Anyone care to volunteer to get it in the faculty?"

Surprisingly, or should Haruka say not so much, almost _half_ of the female population in the class raised their hands. Because of his looks, you can say he has quite a large fan base in their school. But Haruka couldn't careless; she continued staring outside the window.

"Eager aren't we?" He smirked, making most of the girls in class fangasmed. "Uh... let's see, Nanami-san?"

That made her jump from her seat. Obviously, she didn't raise her hand. But maybe Ryuuya didn't want to make his fan girls' hopes up so he decided to pick his shyest student in class.

"Y-yes?" The rosette answered shyly, like how she usually does in school.

"Can you get the last quiz paper of your class in the faculty room, if it's alright with you?"

Haruka looked down, but nodded anyway.

"Stupid bitch…!" One of her female classmates growled.

"She already stole Tokiya-sama from us and now…"

"_She's planning to take Ryuuya-sama as well?!" _They all said in unison.

The rosette sweat dropped, as well as the male students in class.

"I kind of pity Nanami…" Someone whispered.

"Yeah… Why does a normal girl like her receive so much hate?"

_Why oh why, indeed. _Haruka groaned internally, going out of the classroom. "Excuse me for a moment; I'll be taking my leave." She bowed politely before closing the door.

"_Hope you'll never return_." Someone near the door hissed.

* * *

"Thank you for the help, Tsukimiya-sensei." Haruka bowed politely.

Ringo shook his head, waving his hand in dismissal.

"It's fine, Haruka-chan." Hearing that endearment made her froze. "I know Ryuuya's such a slob sometimes, mixing up the student's papers without a care in the world!"

The girly teacher was kind enough to help Haruka find their papers. He wasn't joking when he said Ryuuya tended to mix-up the test papers! She saw that the papers of the first years and the third years got mixed-up, while the second years had all the papers stuck in one place, not even trying to fix which test paper goes in which section. Haruka even saw Kurosaki Ranmaru-senpai's old math test paper, and this guy graduated _a year ago_!

"I hope he doesn't get mad that I took so long…" The rosette looked down, nervousness evident on her face.

Ringo smiled at her, giving her a 'peace-sign'. "Don't worry, Haruka-chan! I'll be the one to talk to him if he scolds you! It's his fault in the first place for being so sloppy!"

She laughed nervously, bowing once more as she said her gratitude. She went out of the faculty room and closed the door behind her. She sighed, carrying the heavy stack of test papers in her hand as she went back to her classroom.

"Oi! _Omae_!"

Haruka stopped abruptly. She turned her head to the side, surprised to see that she was standing right in front of the student council room. Now that she thought of it, the faculty room and the SC room were three rooms apart…

"Jinguuji Ren!" Someone shouted angrily. She guessed that it was the supposedly 'calm and collected' vice-president, Hijirikawa Masato. "You! Why are you slacking off?! Don't tell me you attended this meeting just to skip classes!"

_So the guys in my class were right…_ Haruka deadpanned.

"Eh…?" A deep but smooth voice grumbled, obviously this was Jinguuji Ren, the secretary. "But this is a lot of work! How do you expect me to write all of this—"

"But you're the secretary." Someone pointed. This voice was unfamiliar, she didn't know who—

"_Otoya_." Haruka jumped upon hearing his stern but calm voice. "Why are you in the student council room? You're not even part of it."

"_Eh_?" It was Ittoki Otoya's, she finally remembered, turn to grumble. "Tokiya~! You're so mean~!"

"_Get out_." Ichinose Tokiya ordered, there was a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Haruka placed her hand on her chest, her heart was racing fast. Just hearing his name made her feel so weird, she wondered why. She shook her head, she better go back to their classroom if she doesn't want to be scolded. Even if Ringo promised to help her, it was no excuse to be later—

"Okay, fine!" The door suddenly slid open, revealing a pouting Otoya while pulling a small blond on his right hand, Haruka assumed he was Kurusu Syo. "But I'm taking Syo with—Eh?"

Haruka blinked, staring back at his crimson eyes.

"You're…" Before Otoya could finish his sentence, he was shoved to the side.

In front of Haruka was a tall blond man, though he was part of the student council he wasn't wearing his uniform properly. His icy blue eyes widened when he saw her, he smiled seductively and took the hand that was on her chest.

"My, my." He whispered, placing her hand on his lips. "What's a lost little lamb doing here?"

"I… uh…" Haruka tried to speak, but no words came out of her mouth. This was the first time she spoke with a boy this year that's not Tokiya or wasn't a teacher! This was embarrassing.

"Could it be…?" He let go of her hand, leaning down to meet her height. "You're skipping classes just to see me?"

Haruka shook her head defensively. _How obnoxious!_

"Of course not!" Otoya shove Ren out of the way, now he's the one standing in front of the door. "Are you perhaps looking for the president?"

The rosette turned as red as her hair. She didn't really have any purpose on why she stopped in front of this room. But now that she's given the chance to talk to him, she's not planning to waste it.

"Y-yes…" She nodded shyly.

"You're looking for Icchi…?" The blond forced his way on the door; they looked like cramped sardines in a can in their current position. "Man, I thought you're one of my—"

"_Kaichou_!" The red-haired male shouted. "Someone's looking for you!"

"Someone…?" Though she couldn't see him, she was sure he was in front of the long table fixing some papers. "Class is—"

"She's some pretty little lamb!" Ren shouted back. "You gotta tell me where you met her!"

"Little lamb?" Tokiya sounded confused. "What are you—"

"It's me, Ichinose-san. Nanami Haruka."

For some reason, the lively room dropped a few temperatures. The two went out of the door and allowed her to pass; she slowly entered the room with a nervous look on her face. Exactly as she thought, Tokiya was doing some papers. But now, he was too busy staring at her wide-eyed.

"Nanami-san…" He whispered, this got her hopes up that they could finally talk properly.

The bluenet shook his head, his expression returned to the cold façade he always used in school. She felt like her heart got crushed when he nonchalantly returned to his papers and acted as if he didn't see her in the first place.

"Oi, Tokiya…" Otoya called, pitying the rosette for his cold treatment.

"Throw her out of the room."

Eyes of different colours widen. Haruka released a gasp; it felt like someone knocked the air out of her. Why… why was he doing this…? Why…?

"Hey look Icchi," Ren said angrily. "You can't just do that to a girl! She came all the way to see you—"

"Meeting is still on session." Tokiya answered coldly. "She can approach me later."

"Ichinose." Masato spoke, after a long time of idleness. "It's okay, we can finish the paper works. You can go take a break and talk with—"

"_I said_," The bluenet shouted. "There's time _later._"

The room suddenly became silently. Everyone stared at the bluenet, it was the first time they saw him lose his cool. Even if they have been a group since long ago, Tokiya was always the calm type along with the other bluenet. But this was unacceptable! He was being rude—

"When is 'later?'"

Everyone's attention reverted to the small rosette. She spoke in a slightly louder voice they never knew a shy girl like her was capable.

"After class—"Tokiya answered but was cut off.

"Yes, after class. But even if I try talking to you, you'll just avoid me like a plague."

Blue eyes widened, he looked away in guilt. They all stared at her in amazement. This was the first time someone cut Tokiya off. Everyone knew his words are absolute, so to see this presence-less girl talking back to their 'leader' was a little…

"Nanami," Tokiya tried to sound calm. "Please not here—"

"_But where_?!" Haruka shouted, tears were welled up in her eyes. "I tried talking to you almost _everywhere_ but you kept on running away! So tell me, where?!"

The room was silent again. The bluenet released a heavy sigh, just as when they thought he was going to give up and just talk to her already, he returned his gaze back to the stacks of paper on the table. He started writing on it, before he passed it to Masato.

"Hijirikawa-san." He said. "There are some errors here. Please do it again."

Haruka's hand formed a fist, crumpling the papers she was carrying. Her blood was boiling in anger. He was doing this to her even if _she _made the effort to hear him out? She… she can't believe this. She—

"… Expected more from you."

This made him stop writing. He momentarily looked up just to check if she's planning to leave or not, but couldn't look away when he saw the look she was giving him.

"I thought there was more in you that meets the eye, Ichinose-san. I thought you had a _reason_ for doing that, because you didn't seem like the person to do _it_." Haruka whispered, tears tricking on her face. "That was why I went to all the effort just to talk to you, _to hear you out_." She looked away, biting her lips. "But I guess I was wrong… completely wrong. Good thing you finally showed me your true self because if you didn't..."

Haruka grinned at him; more tears fell from her eyes. All of them felt their chest tightened, she looked so _pathetic _right now.

"_I might have fallen in love with you_."

With that, she turned around and ran off.

* * *

_**I'm not even joking, for the nth time I accidentally wrote 'Date with Haruka week' at the title lol xD Haha. Have you guys read that story? It's a HarukaXSTARISH, try to check it out when you have the time :) Talk about advertising an old story. Anyway guys, ANGST ANGST ANGST. Oh my gosh, when was the last time I did that? On my Naoto's new persona days of course, that's one of my other stories. If you guys are familiar with Persona 4, then try checking this out, too. But I won't promise you that it's good, I wrote it when I was 12 years old HAHA. I'm not joking.**_

_**About the fixing the paper scene, that happened to me in real life but in a different scenario. I went to the faculty room for some reason, then my scary Lit teacher told me to help her stack up the old 'bible reflections' we do at school. I'm not joking when I say it was CHAOS. From Grade 7-Fourth Year, the papers were mixed. I even saw a couple of our ALUMNI's papers. Imagine that, they graduated and all that but they still haven't received their old projects lol.**_

_**On other news, have you guys heard about Oz to Himitsu no Ai? It's a new drama CD series by Rejet (The same maker of DiaLovers). What's so special about it, wellll, it has MIYANO MAMORU in it! Dude, I was shocked! Because Mamo rarely do drama CDs. and it's DUMMY HEAD MIC ohmygoshIdonteven. The last time I heard him in a drama CD with DHM was Kannou Mukashibanashi or something, I think that's the name. Come to think of it, that's the ONLY drama CD DHM Mamo has. If you include the UTAPRI Sasayaki Tokuten whatever which I did not enjoy so I do not consider but whatever, then it's 2. Lol. Tatsun, Hirarin, Shimono, Takahashi Naozumi and Kondo are also part of the cast. Why am I advertising this? Because it's FUUUUN! I'm happy right now, don't judge xD Writing this chapter made me tear up a little, because I'm a sap.**_


	5. Chapter 5

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter Five:

The Truth And Only The Truth

"Nanami-san," Hyuuga Ryuuya-sensei called as soon as the rosette returned, but there was no hint of anger or annoyance in his voice. "Care to explain why took you so long?"

_I went to the student council room and screamed at the president, sir_. Nanami Haruka looked down with a blush on her face. But of course, she wasn't going to say that. Even though that's one of the reasons why she got later than expected, her real reason was…

She walked closer to their math teacher and handed out the papers, he took it without saying anything. She took a deep breath before she spoke.

"I-I-I'm really sorry, sensei," Haruka said softly, so that the other students can't hear her. "I d-d-don't think it would be appropriate to say it out l-loud so I'll rather whisper it to y-you."

He nodded, telling her to go on.

"I couldn't f-find the papers at first because the papers of the first years up to the third years got m-mixed up." Blue eyes widen, an unusual tint of pink painted on his cheeks. "I hope you would not get m-m-mad, but with the help of Tsukimiya-sensei, we separated the tests by years and section." She bowed in apology. "P-p-please f-f-forgive me for I have touched your things."

"Stand up," he ordered, the rosette followed. "It's alright, Nanami-san. It seemed like it was my fault why you got late. But to think you fixed my things…"

She was surprised to feel a hand patting her head. Golden eyes shyly peered up, only to choke on particularly nothing when he saw the scary math teacher smiling warmly at her.

"You're such a good kid," he said in a soothing voice. Haruka didn't know if it was her imagination but she thought her heart skipped a beat. "I think that'll be a great help to the other students as well."

_Other students you'll also order to get their class papers_, Haruka completed his sentence in her mind. She shook her head and smiled.

"It's my p-p-pleasure to help. But I think Tsukimiya-sensei deserves a share of your gratitude."

The smile on his lips disappeared; the hand on her head fell silently to his side. He released an annoyed sigh before looking away.

"Of course," He grumbled. "Ringo."

Haruka thought she heard Ryuuya-sensei mention the other teacher's name menacingly. It was well known in their school that these two are close friends, but judging by the tone of his voice, it was probably more of they're stuck with each other without a choice.

"You may now return to your seat."

She nodded and turned around, the first thing she saw was the threatening glare all her female classmate were giving her. She sweat-dropped and returned back to her seat, ignoring all their evil auras.

"Did you see that?"

"She's acting all shy and stuff to get sensei's attention."

"Such a slut."

"Once she's done with Tokiya-sama I bet she's going to target the other members of STARISH!"

Haruka sat on her chair without another word, resting her elbow on the table while her hand was supporting her chin, as she once again stared outside the window. It actually made her wonder, how she managed to adapt to her new surroundings. Before, no one took notice of her. But now, her small actions seemed like a great threat to the world or something—

Everyone turned as they heard the door being harshly swung open. As soon as they realized who it was, the classroom was filled with cheers.

"_Kaichou_!" They greeted, she became tensed upon hearing the title. She slightly turned her head to the side to make sure if it really was him, only to see the bluenet catching his breath as if he ran after her. The ache in her chest ebbed away.

Ichinose Tokiya went straight to where the she was sitting, grabbed her wrist, and dragged her out of the room. Behind them, Ryuuya was shouting where the hell they were going but Tokiya didn't even let him finish, for he slammed the door shut and continued dragging her towards Kami-sama knows where.

O~o~o~O~o~o~O

"Ichinose-san!" Haruka protested. "What are you—"

Tokiya stopped abruptly, causing the rosette to bump unto him.

"Ichinose-san…?" Haruka blinked and looked around the place, to her surprise they managed to go all the way to the school rooftop. She didn't even remember climbing up the stairs—

"We need to talk," he whispered, barely looking at her because of the extreme guilt he felt after what he had done a while ago.

Yes, he knew he did not have the right to tell her this after he refused when she wanted to talk to him. But he quickly regretted it as soon as he saw Nanami cry. To say that he was heartbroken was an understatement! When she left, it took all his strength not to run after her. But as you can see, he failed and did so. He wanted to punch himself for being an idiot, as if ignoring her would solve—

Haruka nodded.

Tokiya turned around, blue eyes dilated and eyebrows slightly furrowed. Wait, she's just going to agree with him just like that? After what he did a while ago, she's still willing to talk to him? "Why aren't you angry?"

The rosette blinked. "I _am_."

"No, I mean…" He looked away, hands gripping his hair in frustration. She was fuming a while ago! Heck, he expected that as soon as they stopped walking she would have slapped him or something! But why did she nod like nothing happened?!

"_Mataku_!" He groaned, hands fell silently to his side. "You're not making things easier for me!"

She raised an eyebrow. "So it's _my_ fault now?" she asked.

The bluenet shook his head defensively.

"Why aren't you throwing a tantrum like any other normal girl?"

Haruka stared at him for a few seconds; slowly a smile crept on her lips as she closed her eyes. He couldn't believe how collected she was! He ran all the way to the classroom after he made her cry, but it turned out she was already fine.

"Because I'm not like any other normal girl."

He blinked, unable to comprehend her reply. They stood in the middle of the rooftop in silence, the wind blew softly and the sun was low in the sky, reminding them of the time. The scene they were in was probably romantic…until you consider the situation they were in.

"Why do you still want to talk to me after what I did to you?" Tokiya spoke without thinking, surprising both of them. Haruka opened her eyes and looked at him with a neutral expression. Seeing that he has caught her attention, he decided to continue. "I expected _you_ to avoid _me_ the whole day but to my utter surprise you decided to do the opposite. Why's that?"

Silence once again enveloped the place. He wondered if she was ignoring him, but that seemed unlikely so she probably didn't hear him. Tokiya opened his mouth so he can repeat what he said—

"You promised that we'd get to know each other. I don't want things to end before it even started. I don't want to judge you without even knowing who you really are." Haruka smiled at him gently, a sweet smile that melted his cold interior—the one he knew he didn't deserve. Unknown to her, his hands slowly formed a fist. "And you were acting really weird. Even though I don't know much about you, I believe you're not the type to do such things. After all, you told me you'll wait for me to fall in love with you and it made me think how—"

"That's enough."

Haruka blinked, she suddenly found her face buried to his chest and a pair of arms wrapped around her neck. "Ichinose-san—"She stopped midway when felt something wet slightly dampened her shoulder; she looked up and saw the Ice Prince _crying_.

"It's enough, Nanami-san," Tokiya whispered, his voice quivering slightly, "because if you say anything else, I might fall harder for you than I already am." Haruka felt his embrace tightened. "I don't think that's a good idea."

O~o~o~O~o~o~O

"So…" Tokiya rested his back on the wall while sitting down on the floor, while Haruka was sitting seiza style. Both of them decided to sit down on the floor because they knew that their talk would take a long time to finish. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Um…" Haruka tilted her head to the side, eyes looking up as if thinking. "How about when we were in my apartment? After you attacked me, you said 'that wasn't me'. What did you mean when you said that?"

The blue-haired Ice Prince looked down, biting his lip. "Look, I know I may sound like I'm making an excuse but—"

"To see is to believe," the rosette said. "After seeing you act like that, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you were possessed or something."

Tokiya chuckled, slightly amused at what she said. Unknown to her, someone inside him was offended. "Possessed, huh?" He smirked. "If we were still living in the medieval times, you can consider me as 'possessed'."

Haruka blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Nanami." He sat up straight, looking up at the sky with a calm expression. "This might be random, but I want you to answer my questions." She nodded; he smiled and proceeded to talk. "In the olden times, because of humanity's lack of knowledge about medicine, a lot of diseases were dismissed as a disease, more considered as a symptom for possession. My question is: do you know some of those diseases?

She stared at him for a few minutes, unsure why he was asking this in the first place. Tokiya smiled at her, "Well? Do you know the answer?"

"Um…let me see." Even if she really didn't know what this was for, Haruka decided to play along. "Schizophrenia, epilepsy, Sydenham's chorea, dissociative identity disorder...sorry, that's all I can think of."

Tokiya shook his head. "No, the smaller the choices the better. Now, my real question is: out of all the diseases you mentioned, which do you think was the closest to my case?"

Without even thinking too much, Haruka answered. "Dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multi-personality disorder."

Tokiya nodded. "Yes, dissociative identity disorder. But let's say that in my case, I only have two identities, which are my real self and my other self. What do you think should be the best name for my problem?"

"Dual personality disorder." She replied.

"Yes," He nodded again. "I have a dual personality disorder."

No one spoke for a while. After a few more minutes, Haruka looked down and started playing with her hands.

"I see."

"That's all you have to say?" Tokiya frowned. "Just an 'I see'? No violent reactions like, 'I don't believe you' or 'you're just making that up'?"

The rosette decided to change her sitting position, twisting her legs to the side while her back rested on the wall. Her legs must have hurt after sitting seiza after a long time. "Well, even if I said those things, nothing will change. I would rather accept that fact rather than think you purposely tried to rape me."

Tokiya looked at her and blinked. "You are unusually calm even after what I told you. When I told my father about this, he panicked and brought me to dozens of doctors just to 'fix' me. And when I told my close friends, they laughed it off at first but when they realized I was serious, they became wary of me for three days."

"How _should_ I react?" Haruka asked.

"I don't know." He shrugged.

The rosette hummed and looked away. He decided to do the same because having this kind of talk with someone always determined when that person truly cared for him to accept him wholeheartedly or leave him in utter disgust. But to his surprise, his girlfriend seemed so neutral about this that _Tokiya_ was the one feeling uncomfortable.

"How long have you been experiencing this?"

"Since I was old enough to think." He answered. Somehow, it seemed like he was undergoing a check-up or something.

Haruka hummed again. "Do you know when he would be the one using your body? Does it have a 'schedule' or something?"

He shook his head. "No, there's no schedule whenever he takes over. But there's a trigger before we can change who's conscious and who's not."

Haruka blinked. "There's a trigger? What is it?"

"I…I'm not really sure," Tokiya sighed, looking down on his hands. "But I realized not too long ago that we would change places when we'd hear a… loud sound."

"A loud sound?" she repeated blankly. "Like hearing a drum beat or a rock band performs?"

He shook his head. "No, not just any loud sound. More of…a sound that's close to danger."

"You're not making any sense."

"A normal person would say I am not making sense since we started this conversation."

Haruka smiled. "I already told you. It's because I'm not like any normal person."

He rolled his eyes. He wanted to correct that a while ago when she said that she wasn't any normal person. But he decided to let it go and continue what he was trying to say. "Hm… Let me try to be specific. You can consider the beeping of a car as a loud sound, but you know the difference when a driver is frantically beeping because he or she was about to bump unto someone or something from a driver beeping just because of the terribly long traffic."

"Oh, I get it now." The rosette nodded. "So apparently Hayato comes out whenever you sense danger."

"Hayato? Who's that?" He paused. "Oh, wait. He's the other me, right? So he has a name…"

"Seriously? He has been living inside you since 'you were old enough to think,'" Haruka used her fingers for emphasis, "but you only realize that he actually has a name just now?"

Tokiya shrugged. "Just because I am aware of his existence doesn't mean I know _everything_ about him. I don't even know what he does with my body whenever he takes control."

Haruka arched an eyebrow. "I have read about this somewhere, but is it safe for me to assume that you don't share your memories with him?"

He nodded. "Whenever he takes over, I experience black-outs. I don't know what he did or said while he was using my body, but judging from the expression of the people around me when I return, it was always bad. I didn't know what happened in the apartment, all I know is that I heard the plates breaking and then I 'fainted.' I'd regained conscious and found myself pinning you down the bed while you look disheveled and had hickies all over your neck—sorry about that—It didn't take me a second to guess he tried to rape you."

The rosette looked at him with a blank expression, slowly consuming all his explanation. "You said that he always does 'bad' things. Does this mean this isn't the first time you, I mean Hayato tried to rape someone? Or maybe worse, what if he _murdered_ someone?"

Tokiya's face suddenly morphed to pure terror, as if this never occurred to him before. He covered his face with his hand, looking away from the rosette's intense gaze. "That…I…_I don't know_! I know he's what most people would consider as a delinquent, but I never thought he would be so evil as to hurt someone!"

"I…I see." Haruka placed her hand under her chin. "Ne, Ichinose-san. Can you…um, summon him out or something? I need to talk to him and ask him some—"

"_Are you insane_?!" Tokiya shouted, standing up abruptly. "After what he did to you, you want to _talk_ to him?!"

The rosette sighed, standing up and patting her skirt to remove any dirt that she might have gotten from sitting on the ground. "That's nice coming from you, Ichinose-san."

Brows furrowed and mouth slightly agape, he turned away slightly offended at what she said. "That's a little rude, Nanami-san."

"Once again, after you threw me out of the SCR. That's nice coming from you, Ichinose-san."

Tokiya gritted his teeth. "You and your petty mouth."

"You love it, anyway," Haruka cooed with a mischievous grin.

He opened his mouth to retort when the door suddenly slammed open, sending the two of them flying to the ground. Behind them, they heard the familiar voice of Shinomiya Natsuki beaming.

"Ah! I knew you'd be here Ichinose-san! Oh, look!" He energetically pointed at the rosette that was still lying on the ground, her behind up in mid-air. "Haru-chan's also here! Yay! I'm hitting two birds with one stone—hey, Ichinose-san! Don't you think that idiom is animal abuse? What about the birds? Poor little—"

"Shinomiya-san," Tokiya said, there was a hint of irritation in his voice. He helped the rosette stood up back on her feet. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the student council room?" Before Haruka could open her mouth, "And yes, Nanami-san. I know it is nice coming from me."

She snickered, barely containing her giggles.

He returned his attention to the tall blond, who was smiling at them. "It seems like you two have…reconciled," he slightly teased.

"Just answer my question," The bluenet said, doing his best to hide the blush on his face. Natsuki blinked before nodding, but anyone could tell that he and Haruka loved to tease the cheeky president.

"Oh, the meeting's already done so we returned back to class. But when I returned, Hyuuga-sensei was fuming and asked me where you were. I told him that you left early and I thought you went to the classroom. He then told me to find you, which leads me here." He paused and pointed at Haruka. "He also ordered me to find Haru-chan, good thing she was with you!"

_Because I'm the reason why she's missing in the first place_, Tokiya thought.

Before the two of them could speak, Natsuki dragged them by the collar and they went back to their classroom. Though dragging them was unneeded because it wasn't like they would run away or something. The blond insisted on doing this because it would 'make them feel as if they did something bad so they should lament over it.' Even though they couldn't understand his logic, they decided to let it go.

"After school," Haruka whispered while they were yanked like a pair of animals. "Let's _'call him out_' at the rooftop."

Before Tokiya could reply, they arrived at their destination. And obviously, once they set a foot on their classroom, they were greeted by a handful of scolding, courtesy of Hyuuga Ryuuya.

* * *

Translation:

_Kaichou_\- president

_Sensei-_ teacher

**Author's Notes**: Sorry for the delayed chapter guys! I lost track of time (literally) and I no longer now what day it is xD Proofread by _xxXMythiaXxx! _Thank you so much for your help, Mythia-san! There were some scenes that became funnier when she edited it xD I actually LAUGHED after reading it, which I thought was weird because I already knew what was coming but... hehe. Again, thank you Mythia-san! Guys, read her story! If you want a good romantic comedy, go read Personality Mood Switch! If you want some serious fanfic, read Uta no Prince-sama: Secret Origins!

SO... who watched Kamigami no Asobi? Isn't Hades the cutest living Lord of the Dead ever? So moe~

Reviews?


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Hello everyone! Are you all doing fine? I'm sorry for not updating too fast. Yeah. Oh, I'm made a reference to my old story in this chapter! Can you point it out? Haha. Sorry if this chapter has a lot of grammatical errors, I didn't manage to send it to Mythia-san because she seemed busy. Didn't want to impose and all. And so, I present you, chapter six!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Uta no Prince-sama.

* * *

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter Six:

His secret

_Mataku! _Ichinose Tokiya didn't know what to do with his girlfriend, Nanami Haruka! He couldn't believe she requested him to 'bring out' that monster that tried to hurt her! What was she thinking, what if it tries to do something to her again? In the first place, is she aware that he doesn't know how to casually bring it out whenever he wants? Why must she—

"Ichinose," A familiar voice called out to him. He turned to his side and saw purple irises looking at with concern. "You're spacing out. I assume it's about Nanami-san?"

Tokiya opened his mouth, but no words came. He looked away, a blush on his face. Hijirikawa Masato chuckled and opted to sit beside the vacant chair where the president was sitting. He placed a mug filled with coffee on Tokiya's side; he took it and muttered a 'thanks'. They were currently at the student council room, along with the other student council members. Even though they have finished sorting things out while Tokiya was busy, he decided to review their ideas before calling it a day. Though it seems _he_ was the one who couldn't get any work done.

"Why do you think it's about her?" The president said while keeping a calm façade, but his best friend knew better.

"Well, I don't know… Maybe since you started dating her you started doing things you don't normally do."

Tokiya blinked. "What do you mean? I'm doing my routine as—"

"You _smile_ at your _paperwork_." Ittoki Otoya, Tokiya's other best friend, sat on the table earning him a disapproving glare from the two bluenets.

"You _laughed _at my puns." Aijima Cecil, the half-Japanese, half-Agnapolian in their group, and also the Social Relations officer, said.

"I even saw you feeding pigeons outside the school with Natsuki." Kurusu Syo added.

All eyes widen at the last statement, they all turned to Tokiya, who in turn looked down with a blush on his face.

"You were _feeding pigeons?!" _Otoya shouted in disbelief, laughing wholeheartedly.

"That is so…" Masato, who was usually the other calm one in the group, was red from trying too hard to stifle his chuckles.

"_Precious." _They all said in unison, before bursting in a fit of hysterical laughter. Tokiya was as red as a tomato, but he tried to remain calm, though his twitching eyebrows failed him as it showed his annoyance and embarrassment. Changing the subject, he called out to Natsuki who was the only one who wasn't laughing in the room. Aside from him, of course.

"Shinomiya-san," Their merry laughter stopped, instead all eyes went to the blond who was playing with his Piyo-chan calculator. "I didn't know you were close with Nanami-san."

_I was pretty sure I was the only male student in school she's ever talked with_. Tokiya's protective side added.

The blond finally looked up from his calculator ('Piyo-piyo~' It tweeted whenever a button was pressed) before beaming at their president.

"I'm not!"

Tokiya choked on particularly nothing, eyes widening in surprise. "But you called her 'Haru-chan'…"

"He does that to every girl she finds cute." Syo explained. The bluenet tensed when he thought one of his friends had fallen for his girlfriend.

"She looked like a spring fairy!" Emerald eyes sparkled as he imagined the rosette in his mind. "So cute~! I wonder what it looks like if she stood next to Syo-kun! Waaaah~! Double the cuteness!"

"See?"

They all nodded. Subsequently, their president relaxed.

"To not get hit even when he calls a girl by her first name even if they aren't close," Cecil looked at the blond in admiration. "As expected from you, Shinomiya-san."

Ren smirked. "Such a lady killer."

"I call it 'feeling close'." Syo rolled his eyes. "And—Oi, Jinguuji! That's nice coming from you of all people!"

Tokiya couldn't help but remember his exchange with Haruka after hearing Syo's statement. A smile crept on his lips, never in his life did he think someone would say something defying to him. He was respected by the people around him, so to be ridiculed by someone rather than his group of his friends, and that 'someone' happened to be his girlfriend, made him feel a little—

"That was the first time I've seen your girl, Ichinose." Syo said, a slight blush on his face. "She's kinda…"

"Cute_?" _Natsuki suggested.

"Yeah…" Syo couldn't believe he was agreeing with his best friend about something. "She's kinda cute…"

Silence.

"Oi!" Otoya shouted abruptly. "Stop where you're going, Syo! There's a minefield over there! Nanami's taken, you know. And by our friend to top that!"

"Oh please," Ren rolled his eyes. "I saw _you_ staring dreamily at the Little Lamb when she went to this room a while ago! I say you got something for her, too, Ikki!"

Otoya turned as red as his hair, raising his arms defensively. "Y-you got it wrong—"

"But I found it weird that I never noticed her before," Syo mused out loud. "Not until today."

"Yes," Cecil nodded in agreement. "I am surprised at myself that I didn't notice her too even with the strong presence of the Muse in her."

They all gave the half-Agnapolian a quizzical look before returning back to their conversation.

"They say that jewelry shines better depending on who's wearing it." Masato suggested, earning him a glare from the other bluenet sitting right beside him.

"I expected more from you, Hijirikawa." Tokiya said through gritted teeth, while the vice-president smiled calmly. He couldn't believe them; they were treating Haruka like some _thing_! A jewelry? Seriously, were they joking him? Is how they treated women? Just some _things _to show off like _jewelry? _Tokiya knew that in their entire group, he's probably the only one who doesn't have that much experience with the ladies. Ren was an absolute womanizer; he begrudgingly thought that maybe the blond idiot influenced Masato in his ways.

"Which reminds me, hey Icchi!" Ren called the bluenet's attention. "When did you start dating her? No, rather, when did you have the time to pursue her? We've been busy since we joined the student council, but I never saw you doing something else that's not concerned with the student council or about your grades or something."

All eyes went to the bluenet, who suddenly looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He looked down, sipping on his coffee before placing it back on the table.

"I started dating her four months ago. On the day of the election, I told her if I win then she'll become my girlfriend."

"No," The tanned blond shook his head disapprovingly. "I meant _before _that. Like when did you meet her? Or how did you get her number-"

"There's no '_before that'_." Tokiya answered firmly. "That was the first time we talked, when I asked her out. And to answer your last question, I got her number two months after we started dating."

_Two months after they started dating…?! _They all stared at him in horror. _That took too long, man! Way too long!_

Otoya was the first one to get over his shock, shaking his head. His eyebrows furrowed when he realized something concerning about what Tokiya said. "Wait; let me repeat what you said. You told her that if you won the election… she's going to be your girlfriend?"

Syo immediately caught up where he was going. "You do know that there was _no_ possible way that you could lose."

"Which means…" Aijima whispered.

"_You might as well have forced her to date you_." They all said in unison, Tokiya felt like their words were arrows that shot his heart repeatedly. They all gave him a look of disgust; the bluenet only shook his head in disbelief. And now suddenly, it was as if _he's _the bad guy! This bunch of hypocrites! And to make things worse, Masato clicked his tongue while shaking his head. "I expected more from you, Ichinose."

Why does it seem like he was getting the unfortunate end of the stick since this day started?

"E-excuse me!" A soft voice shouted from behind the student council door, eyes of different colours widen for they all realized who owned it. "P-permission to enter!"

Suddenly, they all sat down on their respective student council member's chair and acted as if they were reviewing the paper works. While the two intruders—Otoya and Syo, respectively—were suddenly serving them coffee and were patting them on their backs, saying 'Don't work too hard, okay!'. Tokiya gritted his teeth, chugging down his coffee.

_Show-offs_…

"You may enter." He shouted, the door slid open revealing the lovely rosette, Nanami Haruka. He didn't know if it was his imagination, but the room was suddenly filled with male pheromones, trying to attract his woman. But unknown to them, it doesn't work. The president tried it himself.

"Ichinose-san—"Haruka couldn't even finish her sentence when she was slaughtered by a bear hug from Natsuki.

"Haru-chan~!" The blond greeted cheerfully. Behind him, someone was emitting a menacing aura. Even with his dense head, he got the cue and removed his arms around the petite girl. The girl coughed nervously before continuing her sentence.

"Ichinose-san, I just wanted to check if you're done…"

Haruka trailed off, seeing that all of them were starting to glare at the president. She didn't know if it was her imagination, but they were sending this air that seemed to say, '_You just made a lady wait, you bastard'. _Tokiya sweat dropped but ignored them.

"We're almost done. Can you wait a little-" No one failed to notice the sadness in Haruka's eyes, Tokiya felt someone kick his shin from under the table. "No, we're actually done. Be right there in a second."

"Oh, okay then." Haruka smiled before nodding at him. "I'll be waiting outside till you get ready—"

"_Nah-ah_, Little Lamb!" She didn't know how, but Ren suddenly teleported in front of her. It seemed like the others were also taken aback at his new-found ninja skills. "We wouldn't be considered as the gentlemen of Saotome Academy if we made you wait outside. Come join us."

_Since when were we considered…?_ All of them stared at the blond as he led the rosette to the chair he was supposed to be sitting on. Otoya quickly gave her a mug of coffee, which she gratefully accepted. Good thing they have extra mugs in the student council room.

"Drinking coffee in the middle of the afternoon…" Haruka said before she sipped on her mug. "This is a nice experience."

The boys laughed awkwardly before turning away. None of them thought it was weird until the rosette pointed it out. It was common for them to drink coffee at this time of the day since they became the new student council members.

"Since we have a fellow student visiting us here today," Masato stood up and headed towards Haruka; she immediately tensed and wondered if he was going to do something to her. "How about we ask her for suggestions concerning the upcoming Cultural Festival?"

Everyone blinked.

"EEEEEH?!"

.

.

.

"So here are the suggestions from the members of the council! And well… the other two who just wanted to hang-out here." Masato presented a whiteboard out of nowhere, Haruka wondered if he came prepared with all of this.

"First suggestion is from me!" Natsuki stood right next to the whiteboard with a marker in hand; he turned around and started scribbling. The rosette had to squint her eyes just to understand his childish writing; he wrote it in cursive English so it took a moment for her to read it.

"Pla…ne…ta…rium?" Haruka read out-loud, but a bit unsure.

"_Sou_!" He clapped his hands energetically. "I suggest we have a mini-planetarium inside one of the classroom and have the Astrology club help us with the equipment. The purpose of this is to educate our fellow students about the beauty of galaxy. And horoscope reading, too, of course."

"Though I've said it before in our previous meeting," Syo muttered, scratching his head. "Natsuki had a decent idea. I actually expected him to suggest something stupid like a treasure hunt or something."

"Next is me!" Otoya grinned, taking the marker from the blond and writing something under Natsuki's idea. The blond returned to his seat. "Arcades! Preferable with crane games and Dance and Sing: Ultimate Fighting! I suggested this well, because it's fun! And we can earn a lot of funds for the council."

"But it also cost a lot of money…" Masato noted. "Next!"

"Uh… I really don't know why, but I feel like someone's nudging me to write this so…" Syo took the marker and wrote something on the board. Haruka's eyebrows furrowed when she saw the small writing on the board. "Uh… playground… for the kids, in case some people decided to bring their kids or their younger siblings. They could… uh… leave them there. But of course, we'll have someone to supervise the children so that no one would try to walk on their own."

"That really was an unexpected but great suggestion from Syo." Cecil whispered.

Ren nodded. "I thought he never liked kids."

"SHUT UP!" The short blond fumed, walking away and sitting on the sofa. Masato stood up and headed to the whiteboard, the rosette nodded that he has a very fine and delicate writing. Though, she was taken aback at what it said.

"_Firework_s?!"

"We know!" All of them except Masato exclaimed in agreement. "It cost too much money!"

Ren was next and he wrote on the board. Haruka slowly read his writing and sighed in relief, only for it to be caught in her throat and she choked when he _finished _writing. After catching her breath, she shouted in disbelief.

"A café… that serves Italian food cooked by five-star restaurant chefs?!"

The tall blond smirked, rolling the marker around his fingers. "I'm classy."

"You're spoiled." Tokiya retorted.

Then it was Cecil's turn. This made Haruka tilt her head in confusion. "What is a… '_shawarma_'?"

"And that was our reaction when we first saw his suggestion." The vice-president shook his head, rubbing his temples.

"It's an Arabian dish!" Cecil pouted adorably. "It tastes really good!"

The last one was Tokiya. The rosette blushed as she read his neat writing on the board. The guys snickered when they saw her reaction.

"The things love can do to a person." Otoya giggled, earning him a marker getting thrown to his head.

"A couple store." Tokiya read calmly, ignoring the red-hair's earlier remark. "This a shop where students and visitors can buy things like a couple shirt or a couple scarf as a souvenir when they visit Saotome Academy's cultural festival."

Now that they have all presented their ideas to their guest, it was Haruka's turn to say her idea. They waited patiently for her answer, if she's going agree to their idea or she's going to suggest her own. But to their surprise, she said something clearly irrelevant to their topic.

"Your suggestions show much of your personalities. And I could tell that all of you have bright sparkling personalities, just like a star."

All of them deadpanned.

"Even if you all have different personalities, you managed to get along fairly well. When all of you joined forces, I'm sure you can be the brightest star of them all. You can form a constellation." _Note to everyone in the room_, they all thought. _She's insane as her boyfriend!_ "I finally understood why your group is named 'STARISH'."

Completely forgetting about her ridiculous and not to mention random statement, Tokiya raised an eyebrow. "STARISH…? Since when did our group became known as 'STARISH'?"

The rosette blinked. "Is it not?"

He shook his head. "No, we never named our group anything. Where did you get that?"

"But the girls all over the school call you STARISH…" All of them abruptly stood up, shock evident on their faces.

"'STARISH', huh?" Otoya repeated the name, looking down on the floor.

"That is…" Natsuki whispered.

"…Probably…" Ren continued.

"…The cheesiest…" Syo scratched his head angrily.

"...Name…" Cecil sighed.

"…I've ever…" Masato shook his head.

"…Heard." Tokiya finished before they all released a groan.

Haruka laughed wearily, telling them it's a fine name. She thought it was weird, why they would name their group something so… girly. If they were an all-girls group, sure it would've passed. But a group full of handsome men with the name 'STARISH' was just… _weird._ It seemed like they didn't know it themselves that they have been baptized with such name in the first place.

"Really?" Otoya looked at her with puppy eyes. "You think it's a fine name?"

The rosette nodded fiercely. "_Yes_! Though it might seem odd, at first. But it's a unique name! And—oh! I realized something. It can also stand for you names! S for Shinomiya, T for Tokiya, A for Aijima… and so on!"

They all nodded in agreement. Wow, even if it sounded really idiotic it's actually quite a great name. And with that, they all sat down with a smile on their faces.

"So it's been decided." The president said in a clear voice. "Starting from this day on, we have officially acknowledged the name of our group as 'STARISH'." They even clapped just for the effects. What followed that was a moment of silence.

"… Though you gotta admit that's a weird name." Ren sighed.

"Yeah." Syo nodded.

"Definitely." Tokiya, even if he was the one who decided to name their group STARISH, couldn't help but agree.

"We sound like a teenage idol group of something…" Masato drunk his coffee and almost choked at it when Cecil shouted. "That's it!"

"What's 'it'?" The president asked, patting the other bluenet on the back to help him a little.

"Because you kept teasing me with my shawarma, I'm going to suggest something else!" They nodded, telling him to continue. "Let's perform on the cultural festival!"

They all stared at Cecil, before bursting in a fit of laughter. Haruka didn't understand what's so funny about it; she thought it was a good idea.

"Oh yeah," Ren spoke while laughing. "Remember when—ahaha—Icchi had his—haha—switched flip—and he—haha—became Hayato—ahaha—and he started dancing and singing—HAHAAHAHA! Imagine—hahaha—_us_ doing that!"

"_OHAYAHHO_!" Otoya and Syo imitated the dance, before they starting rolling on the floor. "We can even—hahaha—feed pigeons—haha—while we're at it—HAHAHA!" The bluenet stopped laughing moments ago when they mentioned a familiar name.

"Wait." The sharpness in his voice made all sound and movement in the room ceased completely. "You _knew _about Hayato?"

They looked at one another before nodding. "Well yeah," Syo answered. "Didn't you _tell _us?"

"No!" Tokiya shouted angrily. "I didn't tell you his _name_!"

They blinked, before a soft 'oh' escaped from their lips. "The first time you switched 'he' already introduced himself as 'Hayato'. At first we thought you were just joking, but when _you_ said yourself we realized you're serious."

"And no one told me about this?"

"We thought you _knew_!" Masato frowned.

"I _didn't_!" Tokiya growled. "The only reason why I found out that the other me actually _has_ a name was because Nanami-san told me!"

Haruka, who was oblivious to the mood, decided to bring up her on purpose why she went here.

"Oh, Ichinose-san. Didn't I tell you that we're going to—"

"No." The bluenet said, calmer than before. He wouldn't want to lash out on her when they just made up. "I'm not going to bring him out just so you can talk to him—"

Out of nowhere, he saw a mug heading straight to his face. With his speed, he quickly dodged it. Before he can even say a 'what the fuck', he heard the sound of glass breaking and he blacked out.

.

.

"Whoa there, Little Lamb!" Ren was the first one to get his composure back after seeing what just happened. "You didn't need to be so aggressive!"

Haruka panted, it took all her strength to throw that mug on his face. She knew that Tokiya still wasn't willing to let her talk to Hayato so she planned before going here beforehand. Good thing Otoya offered her coffee, everything became easier by then. But first, she wanted to clear things up.

"Ittoki-san," She called softly.

The red-haired straightened up, "H-Hai?"

"Please put milk and creamer on my coffee. I don't like it black, you see."

The poor red-head nodded fiercely, the others stared at her in disbelief. "And add some sugar. Lots of it." _Note to everyone in the room_, they gulped nervously. _She's even more insane than her boyfriend!_

"What the fuck…" Hayato continued for Tokiya. Everyone turned to the bluenet who was busy staring at broken pieces of the mug behind him. "It is me or you just threw a mug at Tokiya, nya?"

But Haruka didn't need him to be willing. She can just force him out by herself. "Hayato-san, let's talk at the rooftop."

Surprisingly, he only grinned and did what he was told.

.

.

"_Ne, ne,_ Haruka-chan!" Hayato called playfully. "Why are ya keeping such distance from? Afraid of I might rape ya again?"

Haruka's eyes narrowed. She was currently standing two meters away from him, but no one can blame her why.

"Doncha worry," He grinned, it irked her how _unnatural_ it seemed on Tokiya's face. "I like my women with big tits. I won't bother ya ever again."

The rosette blushed, from anger or from embarrassment, you decide. "Even if you tried, I brought something to protect myself." From her pocket she brought out a pair of long sharp scissors. Blue eyes widen in amusement.

"Yer going to stab me? What would ya do if I died?"

"Don't worry," She answered coolly. "You won't die so easy." He raised an eyebrow, as if saying 'why are you so sure', and so she continued. "Because my father said that bad weeds are hard to kill."

Hayato laughed maniacally, before stopping abruptly. "Yer insane."

"That's nice coming from you."

He smirked, advancing a step forward closer to her. Her grip on the scissor tightened. "Ya have a smart mouth. I like ya, nyaa." Another step forward.

"I afraid your feelings are not reciprocated."

His eyes twitched, Haruka didn't even saw him dashed towards her, she just found herself standing face to face with him, scissors pressed dangerously on her throat.

"Yer a bitch."

"You're a bastard."

She felt the cold metal returned back on her hand, the bluenet took a step back, moving away from her on his own accord. She let go of the breath she unconsciously held.

"_Saa_," Hayato was now sitting on the same area where Tokiya sat a while ago, in front the door to the roof top. Haruka followed him but decided not to sit next to him; instead she stood in front of the bluenet with an unusual calm look on her face. "It's time to get down to business, _nyaro_!"

Haruka nodded; surprised that he knew that she only wanted to talk.

"_What _are you, Hayato?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious? I'm Tokiya's split personality. Just—"

"No," She shook her head, not happy with his answer. "That's not it. There's _more _to it."

"Oh?"Hayato feigned disbelief; this girl was smarter than she looked. "Care to explain why and _what _do _ya _think am I supposed to be, nyaa?"

"I'm not sure about this but," She looked down, biting her lips. Slowly she looked up and showed a face of complete determination. "Judging from what Ichinose-san said, you only appear when he hears 'danger'. So I assume that you're he's protector—"

Hayato laughed hysterically, he didn't wait for her to finish his sentence. In mid-cackle, he stopped. She was taken aback at how quick he can restore his composure. As expected from someone with mental instability.

"_Baka janai ka? Omae?" _Even though his words were insulting, his tone was completely serious it made Haruka feel more annoyed. "Ya must be as crazy as I am to think I'm _protecting _that kid, naiiaaa!"

"Then what are you?" She challenged. "Tell me what you are."

He smirked, slowly standing up. Only did Haruka realize that he was a few inches taller than her, if not a foot. But she tried her best to not be intimidated, or at least not show it.

"I'm everything that Tokiya despises!" He said, laughing again in a creepy manner

"W-what do you mean?" She could only whisper.

"Haven't you realized, nya?" Hayato asked before he started walking forward, arms wide open as if he was waiting for a hug from an imaginary person. "He's got the looks, the brains, athletic, and even that cool mysterious personality ya chicks dig! Isn't he _perfect_?"

Haruka nodded, but didn't know where this was going. Yes, Tokiya was famous at school for all his talents and his brains. They even called him inhuman because he was so close to perfection. They even called him 'Mister Perfect' just to make fun of him. But it was the truth. He _was _perfect.

"But don't ya know the saying, '_no one's perfect_', nya?"

Golden eyes widen, realization struck her. He turned around and smirked.

"I like da look on yer face, nya. It seemed like you finally caught up with me."

"B-but how—"Haruka shook her head in disbelief.

"Does it matter?" He scoffed. "What's important is that I'm standing here in front of ya, nya. Through sheer stress, he managed to create two personalities in one body. His 'perfect' personality, which is him, and the epitome of everything he never wanted to be, which is _me_!"

"Stress?" She repeated. "He was stressed—"

"By his father to be perfect!" Hayato smiled bitterly, even if he hated the other personality sharing his body, he couldn't but pity him. "He was an only child and an heir to a well-known company here in Japan. He was forced by his father to act like an adult at the young age of 7; he was not allowed to be childish nor allowed to throw a tantrum. When he showed signs of humanity, his father would get angry and would beat him up!"

"But that's…!" Haruka covered her lips, tears welled in her eyes.

"I don't need yer tears, nyaa." He clicked his tongue, looking away. "And before I knew it, I had a mind of my own. All his imperfections—impatience, cruelty, hot-headedness, stupidity—name every single fucking one of them! It's standing right in front of you!"

He walked and stopped right in front of her; he cupped up her cheeks and forced her to look at him. He leaned down, enough for Haruka to feel his breath.

"Now, Ha-ru-ka-chan!" He said the syllables of her name as if he couldn't get enough of it. "It wouldn't be good if you're the only one asking. Let me ask _you _a question, nyaa." The rosette didn't reply, he took it as a signal to continue. "Why are you doing this? Why did you want to know about me, nyaa? Will it even _change _anything if you did?"

There was silence. Hayato thought she didn't have any plans on answering, he decided he should just crush her jaw like what he did to her back in her apart—

"I want to help Ichinose-san."

He blinked. "What did you just say?"

"I want to help Ichinose-san." Haruka said firmly, looking at his eyes with an intense gaze. The bluenet gritted his teeth and let go her, taking a step back. But she only followed him. "But after hearing what you said, I only want to help him even more!"

"Don't tell me, nyaa." He rolled his eyes. "It's because ya want him to remain the ever so 'perfect' and 'pure' Tokiya-sama ya fan girls depicted him to be. Or wait, ya _want _me to merge with him because it makes ya so uncomfortable that yer boyfriend is so it makes _you _feel so worthless—"

"That's not it." She answered weakly, but the sincerity in her voice was enough to shut him up. "At first, it was just genuine concern. I was afraid that you might start hurting people other than me and Tokiya would get the blame for it. But after hearing what you said, I came to the realization that I don't need a perfect boyfriend if it means stripping off his humanity. I can accept him no matter what he will turn into, no matter what mistakes he did in the past and what mistakes he will do in the future. So please," Haruka pulled him, his face was now just a mere inch away. "Hayato, don't bare the pain all to yourself."

And she leaned forward.

* * *

**Translation: **

_Mataku_\- expression that shows irritation.

**Author's Note**: Hello. Did you enjoy it? Was it humorous? I gave it my all xD Did any notice I've been teasing Tokiya since chapter 8 of DWHW? Haha. Oh, I also realized that I enjoy writing STARISH together. It's amusing how their personalities conflicted with each other and hilarity always ensues. Lol. So this might be the end of Futari no Himitsu. It's already May and I'm afraid that by June I'm forced to go study-mode again because class resumes. And also... the lack of reviews. I know I sound like an attention whore but it's not really fun to update when it feels like no one is waiting for me to. Like... there's no point. But that depends if you guys want me to continue.

Reviews?


	7. Chapter 7

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter Seven:

Who Said This Was The End, Nya?

But rather than feel his lips, Nanami Haruka felt a hand at her face. She blinked, before the bluenet freaking _Ignite Passed_ her face and she fell a few steps backwards.

"W-Wh-What the hell do you think you're doing, _nya_?" Ichinose Hayato covered his face with his left arm. His face was unusually red… _How cute_.

The rosette rubbed her slightly red face. "I was trying to kiss you—"

"I know, _nya_!" he shouted, his face became a darker shade of red. Haruka wondered if he was capable of showing her fifty shades of red. "What I meant was, why were you _trying_ to kiss me?!"

There was a moment of silence, and it wasn't the comfortable kind.

"I just thought the moment called for it…?"

Hayato scoffed. "What? So you thought if you kissed me, everything would be back to normal and I'll be one with Tokiya, _nya_? You're trying to be a prince breaking the witch's curse through true love's kiss or something cliché like that?"

Another moment of awkward silence. After a few minutes, Haruka nodded.

"But…" The rosette looked down, eyebrows slightly furrowed. "In our case, I'm the one trying to break the curse. But I'm a girl, so wouldn't it be more suitable if you used 'princess' rather than—"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT _NYA_!"

Hayato buried his face on his hands, shaking his head in annoyance. This girl…! She was probably the weirdest girl he had ever met. He really had no idea why Tokiya fell in love with her…there was no word that could describe this walking abomination named Nanami Haruka aside from the adjectives 'insane' and 'weird'.

"So it didn't work huh…?"

He turned and saw Nanami looking at the ground, a sad look on her face. Hayato was taken aback at this. Even if he had no feeling for the girl aside from annoyance, he couldn't help but feel bad that she was making such a bleak expression.

"W-Well, sorry I didn't disappear, _nya_!" He forced a sarcastic tone, looking away while his arms were crossed. "I guess you have to deal with me until—"

Hayato stopped mid-sentence when he felt a pair of small hands grab his polo shirt. His blue eyes widened, as he looked down to meet her pleading eyes. Once again, he felt the air got knocked out of his chest.

"Tell me, Hayato-san!" The grip on her shirt tightened. "Was my sincerity not enough? Or did I say something wrong? Please, Hayato-san! Answer me—"

"I knew you were sincere." Haruka finally let go of him. "Even if Tokiya's not here, I knew your words reached him. But sadly, it was not enough for him to accept me."

Her golden eyes darkened, hands balled into a loose fist. "That's…"

"But don't worry…" Hayato hesitated at first, but he raised his hand and patted her head. Her moist eyes stared at him in slight surprise. It felt like she was seeing through his soul. "Because of your words… He will come in terms with himself. I think it helps to know that someone can accept him even if he makes mistakes. But for now, Haruka, give him time to accept me. After all, I'm his imperfections, _nya_."

"And when he does," Haruka whispered, her tone hopeful, "will he…?"

"Become normal?" Hayato smiled sadly. "I will disappear and he will become a normal teenager. Even though I don't know when that will happen, if you're there with him, I know that someday, he will come to accept me."

The rosette nodded. "I will wait for it then. No matter how long, I will stay by his side and assure you that you will be accepted."

"…_Arigato_," was all he could say. He was about to remove his hand when Haruka grabbed it. Blue eyes widened, he blinked and stared at the petite girl that was smiling gently at him. It made his heart beat faster for some reason. This was the first time someone gave him such a look. Ever since he was 'born,' all he received were scorns and disgust. So she really wasn't lying when she said that she was willing to accept him. Hayato had the qualities of 'doubtfulness,' so he couldn't help but think she was just trying to get rid of him. But it seemed she was telling the truth. _And only the truth_.

"You're actually a nice guy, Hayato-san."

Hayato blushed with alarming eyes. He forcefully looked away. "_B-B-Bakka_!" Haruka giggled, thinking it was cute to see the once sexual harasser turn into a _tsundere_.

"I really thought you were just pure evil," she said softly but honestly. The bluenet couldn't help but peer at the calm expression on her face. "But unexpectedly, you can say kind and encouraging words when you think the situation needs it. That caught me off guard, but my father did tell me, 'no man can be pure evil'."

"_A-Atarimaeda, nya_!" He stammered, pouting a little, slightly hurt that Haruka thought so low of him. Slowly his expression darkened, eyes looking down on the floor. "It's not really fun to think that the only reason I exist is because Tokiya _doesn't_ want me to_."_

"Hayato-kun…" Haruka whispered, blue eyes widened a little. He did not expect her to hear what he said. She smiled sadly, the pain in his chest slowly faded. "It turns out you're just a lonely person deep inside." Pinked tainted his cheeks, he opened his mouth and wanted to shout 'don't act like you understand me' when Haruka continued. "Like any normal person living in this world."

Hayato frowned. Now that he thinks of it, what was her life _before _Tokiya joined in? She didn't have any presence which was weird for such a—_Fine, _he gotta admit, _nyaa—_cute girl. He also found out while he was snooping around while Tokiya was unconscious that Haruka had only _one _friend. Well of course, excluding Tokiya and… _sheesh, _him. And her one and _only _friend was in another section. She must have felt really lonely… Hayato felt that they had something in common aside from being weirdos.

Trying to lighten up the mood, he slapped her on the back, nearly knocking out the air in her windpipe. Haruka coughed, after regaining her composure, she glared at him.

"What was that for?"

He grinned.

"Nothing."

Haruka narrowed her eyes. "There's always a reason for everything, Hayato-kun."

"_Hm…_" He did the 'thinking pose'; she thought he looked like an idiot. "Because I'm evil?"

"That doesn't make any sense."

"The _world _doesn't make any sense."

A moment of silence.

"… Were you trying to be _poetic_?"

"_U-urusai! Damare!" _Hayato shouted, trying to regain the 'creeper' tone he used on her a while ago. But because of the blush on his face, as well his quivering voice, it was far from creepy and more of '_tsun tsun_'.

"I didn't know 'evil'—" Haruka made the quotation sign with her hands, emphasizing the word."—people liked to be poetic…"

"Yes, there are a lot of evil people like myself that has a poetic side!" He crossed his arms, fuming. "A lot of them were famous!"

"State a few."

...

"Oh, _just shut up_ Haruka!"

But unknown to them, it was the truth. Hayato was pure evil, nothing more and nothing less. Let me emphasize it, though. _Was_, past tense_. _This changed after hearing Haruka's words, it somehow encouraged Tokiya. Even though it was only a bit, this was a big step.

Tokiya's qualities called, 'kindness' and 'sincerity' was shared with his imperfect side, Hayato. Slowly, the two personalities would share all their qualities to each other until one day, they will become one. Though when that, 'one day' will be, fate would be bound to answer. But for now, let's watch Nanami Haruka and Ichinose Tokiya/Hayato's little misadventure as they learn small but interesting things about each other. Also, let's find out the reason how Tokiya got interested with the rosette, and if Haruka will ever fall in love with her boyfriend that had a dual personality.

_So until then…_

"Who said this was the end, _nya_?" Hayato shouted, crossing his arms.

"Hayato-san, who are you talking to?" Haruka blinked, searching around the rooftop for any other person aside from them.

"None of your concern, _nya_," he said, narrowing his eyes at the rosette's nosiness.

"Oh, by the way," the rosette remembered something from their conversation in the SCR, "what was that dance they were talking about back then?"

Hayato blinked. "Dance? What dance?"

"The one with the '_OHAYAHHO_'?" The rosette started doing the dance, looking like a complete idiot. The bluenet's eyebrows only furrowed at her.

"…What the hell are you doing?"

Haruka stopped and stared blankly up at him.

"Don't tell me…Ichinose-san did that…"

It was about time that the two rolled on the floor in a fit of laughter. We can all assume that Tokiya's pride was cracked in two.

* * *

**Translation:**

_Arigato- _thank you

_Baka- _idiot

__Atarimaeda- __of course

___Urusai- ___shut up

___Damare- ___shut up

___Tsun tsun- ___to act cold

**Author's Notes: **Hello guys, I'm going to continue the story after all. I didn't know people supported this story that much... I slightly teared up when my inbox was filled with you reviews. With that, thank you so much. Thank you to xxXMythiaXxxx-san for proofreading this! You are the best! To the readers who also read my other story, Date with Haruka Week, I have posted an extra chapter. Proofread by xXMythiaXxxx again, I'm sorry if I'm overworking you xD. Hope you'll read it!

Edited: I just want to add this, Kamigami no Asobi episode 7: I can't believe you just ruined my Loki-kun. Damn you, fail anime adaption. I knew the game was all BL-ly and stuff (they did that in UtaPri Debut, too) but come on, it wasn't THAT bad. The anime was just... I think I'm not gonna watch it anymore -_- And to think I was planning to write a fanfic for it, too. Sorry for my rants, I just can't get over with my feels xD


	8. Chapter 8

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter Eight:

Breaking Walls and Cross-Overs

Nanami Haruka covered her mouth as she yawned. It was seven in the morning, even if she still felt sleepy; she forced herself to walk to school. It was already Wednesday today, which meant today were their exams. Aside from that, this day can be considered as a normal.

Last Monday, though reluctantly, Hayato apologized to her, which she willingly accepted. No matter what a scary experience it was, she got to admit that it brought them closer to each other. Because of it, she also found out about Tokiya's number one secret.

He has a dual-personality.

But even if the bluenet wasn't as perfect as he seemed, she was still ready to accept him.

'… _I don't need a perfect boyfriend if it means stripping off his humanity. I can accept him no matter what he will turn into, no matter what mistakes he did in the past and what mistakes he will do in the future…'_

Was what she said.

Haruka couldn't help but blush upon remembering her dramatic speech. Her words seemed like it came from a movie or something, it was somehow embarrassing. But no matter how awkward it was for her, it was the reason why Tokiya finally accepted his other half.

Well, not yet. But Hayato assured her that because of her, he will soon fully accept him and he will live a normal life.

Speaking of Tokiya…

"Ohayou," He smiled. "Nanami-san."

The rosette blinked, it seemed she already arrive in front of the school gate. She walked faster, only to stop in front of Ichinose Tokiya.

"Ohayou gozaimasu," Haruka bowed politely. "How was your morning, Ichinose-san?"

"It was—"Before he could finish his sentence, Haruka grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down.

"As if." She hissed, "You can't fool me, Hayato-kun. I can identify Ichinose-san from you just like day and night."

He sweat dropped. "Who are you, Fujioka Haruhi?"

"What?"

He closed his eyes, shaking his head. Haruka sighed, removing her hands from his clothes. Hayato exhaled, happy that he could finally breathe.

"Why are you here?" Haruka asked, though in a much calmer voice. "We have exams today; I don't think it's a good idea to let you answer Ichinose-san's test paper."

"Why are ye fearful," He answered, raising his hands in the air. "O ye of little faith?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Quoting the bible won't change anything, Hayato-kun."

"Could you shut up for a moment?" He snarled, Haruka totally forgot that even if he's a slightly changed man, he still has more of his bad personality than good. "I'm still talking, wait for your turn."

She sighed, eyeing him with disinterest as he took his bag and fished out something from its pocket. She blinked, staring at the long object he presented in front of her face.

"Is that…?" She asked.

"It is!" He beamed. "It's a special rolling-dice pencil, good for exams with multiple choices!"

Haruka deadpanned.

"And what if the test doesn't have multiple choices?" She raised an eyebrow; Hayato's face became a blank before he burst out laughing.

"I'll just write whatever comes into my mind!" The rosette grabbed the nearest flower pot. "I'M JUST JOKING, OKAY?!" She placed the pot down, crossing her arms. "Sheesh, you're too violent for your size!" She bended, preparing to take the object. "Calm the heck down, woman!" He shook his head, rubbing his temples. "Don't worry, I reviewed!"

Haruka stared.

"I'm not joking." He assured, ignoring the look of disbelief written all over her face. "I know that I'm going to disappear soon, so I might as well be useful Tokiya even if it was just a little."

"But didn't you say you had the quality 'stupidity' in you…" She whispered, furrowing her eyebrows.

"'Stupidity' and 'illiteracy' are two different things, Haruka. You, of all people, should know that." Hayato patted her on the head before he entered the gate. "We should chat later; we're going to be late for our test." And with that he went ahead.

Haruka stood dumbfounded in front of the gate, shock at what she heard. She won't deny this; she was _impressed_ with his answer.

Before she realized, it was already Saturday. Exams ended today. Around her, her classmates were rejoicing that the torture was over. Haruka thought it was just fine. Out-of-nowhere, Hayato teleported in front of her and was sitting on the vacant seat there.

"How was—"

"Please, Hayato-kun. Stop with the formalities." She answered dryly. "I know you don't really care and you're just waiting for me to say 'how about you' so you can say yours."

Hayato glared. "The answers were flowing out from my hands, thank you for asking."

Haruka chuckled, finding it amusing how easy to guess he was. She thought he was just there to boost how easy the test was for him when he proved her wrong.

"Watch my basketball game later on."

She blinked.

"What?"

"I said," Hayato scratched his head, clearly irritated that he had to repeat himself. "Watch my—"

"No, what I meant was," Haruka shook her head. "_Why_?"

Blue eyes furrowed. "Isn't that what girlfriends to their athlete boyfriends?"

She blushed.

"You are not my boyfriend!" She shouted, good thing most of the people in class already left. She turned a deeper shade of red before lowering her head, her voice turned into a whisper. "It doesn't mean you share the same body with him you could also share me, too!"

He rolled his eyes.

"Fine, then do it as a friend."

She blinked.

"What's with that look?" He scoffed, "It's annoying."

"So you think of me as a friend?" Golden eyes widened, a smile crept on her lips. Hayato blushed, looking away.

"Of course you are." He said through pouted lips. "I mean, if you're not, then what are you?"

Haruka chuckled.

"No… I was just surprised, that's all." Her smile disappeared when she realized something. "Wait, Ichinose-san's good at athletics. Doesn't it mean… you're terrible at it?"

He grinned.

"I'll show you a sight you've never seen before!"

A sight so horrible that no one has ever seen and no one would wish to see, Haruka thought, horrified.

.

.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T PLAY?!" Hayato shouted, stomping his feet.

"Because you're not part of the Kuroko no Basuke cast." S(T)AR(I)SH replied.

"K-Kuroko no… what?" Eyes furrowed. "What are you guys talking about?"

They were currently at the academy gym. Haruka wondered if they were having a match from a different school, but it seemed like it was a game only for STARISH. They were going to have a 3-on-3 match, meaning one should be left behind.

"And what's with this team?" He grumbled, crossing his arms. "Cecil, Natsuki and Syo. Wait a minute, _Syo?! _He's the shortest one in the group and yet why is he playing instead of me?!"

"Believe it or not," Aijima Cecil said. "Syo was part of the cast!"

"Eh?!" The members who could understand what was going on shouted. "Who was he?"

"Remember back in season one, they had a practice match with otou-san? The giant foreigner?" They all nodded, telling him to continue. "He was that team's captain!"

"EH?!" They shouted once again, "MAJI DE?!"

The half-Japanese nodded. "Yup! Though he only had a few lines…"

"Hey!" Syo crossed his arms, a nerve on his head. "At least I'm part of the cast! Not like those two over there!" He pointed at Hayato and Otoya. "Oh and by the way, Hayato! You suck!"

"W-what?" He sweat dropped.

"Why did you quote the line from that swimming anime when you're about to play at a basketball game?"

"S-swimming anime?" He repeated. "No guys, seriously, what are you-"

_-Kasunda mirai wo Kirisaku yo ni terasu hikari-_

"—Oi, choto matte!" Hayato shouted, flailing his arms to catch their attention. "I'm still talking over here! Why did you play the song—"He paused, noticing a certain someone beside him. "Why the hell is Kurosaki Ranmaru-here?"

"Because he's part of the cast." Ren answered, placing his arm around Ranmaru's shoulders. "Hey, Kurosaki. Did you know OnoD is in this anime too, too bad he's part of HEAVENS though…"

"OnoD?!" The poor bluenet was purely clueless. "Wait; don't tell me Kurosaki-senpai will be you're third member?"

"Yes." Ren and Masato nodded. "Though it would've been better if Kira's here… 'Cause you know he's voiced by Ono Daisuke and we all know who he's voicing in _that _anime!"

"The number one shooter of the Generation of Miracles!" They answered.

"Sou!" Ren smirked. "Our team would be _unstoppable_ if our members are consists of the Generation of Miracles!"

"Got a problem with me?" Ranmaru growled.

"Of course not, senpai." Masato answered. "Your hawk eye will be very useful in our match."

"Generation of Miracles… Hawk eye…" Hayato looked like he was going insane. "Wait a minute, who the hell is Ono Daisuke in the first place?!

"He's my senpai in Mausu Promotion, our talent agency." Haruka joined. "I call him 'OD'."

"Miyuki?" He stared at the rosette in disbelief. "You, too?!" He blinked. "…What did I just call you?"

He stopped when he felt someone pat him on the shoulder. He turned around and saw Ittoki biting his lips bitterly, surprisingly he was wearing a pair of _glasses_.

"Don't worry, Mamo." He said. "Let's just hope we'll be part of season three!"

"'Mamo'—" He blinked. "What—"

"Saaa!" Ren shouted, catching all their attention. "The only one who can beat me is me!"

"WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE SAYING?!"

.

.

Eyes opened, gasping as he woke up from his rather peculiar dream. Or should he say nightmare. He placed his hand on his face, wiping off his sweat.

'_What was that dream?_ 'He rose up from bed; before he looked at his alarm clock. '_Why was I dreaming of Hayato when I'm clearly Tokiya… This has not happened before."_

'August 15th', it said. '12:30 PM.'

He blinked blankly. August fifteen? He was it possible that it was August 15 when ended months ago… Wait a minute, what? Twelve thirty?! He's late for class—

"Eh?" Tokiya blinked. He found himself in the middle of the playground, sitting on the slide. Beside him was Haruka, a black cat was sitting on her lap.

"I kind of hate summer…" She muttered, trail of sweat fell of her face as she patted the dark creature.

Suddenly, the cat jumped from her lap and ran away. Golden eyes widened and she went down from the slide, following it. Tokiya told her to let it go, but she still pursued it. He sighed and decided to watch her, walking down from the slide.

The cat crossed the street, and so did she. Unknown to her, the stoplight already went red. Tokiya opened his mouth, but it was all too late. A truck came, hitting her small form and she screamed. Blood splattered everywhere; some even went to his pale cheek. The metallic scent of blood combined with the dusty road choked him. He turned his head, only to see the black cat on the other side of the road, licking his paw. Slowly, he placed his paw down and looked at Tokiya.

"Serves you right."

.

.

"HARUKA!" Tokiya screamed, sending the covers of his bed flying. He breathed heavily, turning to his alarm clock. He grabbed it with worried eyes and stared at the numbers. It wasn't August 15 today; it was also 6:30 in the morning.

He went out of bed and took his uniform and underwear from his closet. He went inside the bathroom and had a quick shower before he wore his clothes. He took his bag from the table and went outside of the house. He did not bother call the driver, he ran his way straight to Haruka's house.

Just in time as he stood in front of Haruka's apartment, the door opened. Golden eyes opened, surprised to see the bluenet at her doorsteps.

"Ichi—"Before she could finish what she was going to say, Tokiya trapped her in an embrace.

"Please don't die on me." He whispered, tightening his arms around her. "Even in my dreams. Please don't."

Unsure what to do and what was going on, Haruka looked up to see the look of anguish on his face. She raised her right hand and cupped his face. Blue eyes widened, he looked down to meet her eyes, only to see her smiling gently at him.

"… Okay."

* * *

**Author's note:** Sorry for this filler chapter, I was busy with DWHW and I'm worried that people would think I'm abandoning this. I'm not okay, I was only prioritizing my other fic because it's ending already. But don't worry, I'm already done with it and it just needs to be posted in a few days... I'm back on business for now, of course until school comes again then... yes.


	9. Chapter 9

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 9:

Dreams

For some reason, Ichinose Tokiya looked so relieved when Nanami Haruka told him that it was only Tuesday today.

To say that Haruka was shocked when she found a breathless Tokiya in front of her doorsteps was an understatement. She let him in, giving him a glass of water to calm down. After gulping the contents of the small container dry, the bluenet looked much better and he no longer had a stressed face as if the Reaper or a Titan was following him.

"Have you eaten?" The rosette asked and on cue, his stomach growled. He looked down with a blush on his face while Haruka chuckled, going to her kitchen. "Want me to cook you some pancakes?"

Blue eyes widened. "But we might get late…"

"Don't worry." She smiled, taking out a ready-mix pancake box from the cupboard. "It will take less than 10 minutes."

Before Tokiya could protest, Haruka opened the box and started preparing the mixture. Blue eyebrows furrowed, the bluenet sighed in defeat.

While the rosette was cooking his breakfast, Tokiya was dozing off on the sofa. He stared at the interior of her apartment with interest. Even though this was the second time he went here, he could not stop himself from being amazed. This was the place where her girlfriend lived. Even though she doesn't look like it, she's capable of living on her own. It made him proud. If Tokiya was the one living on his own, he knew he would be able to live with it. He grew in a lifestyle where maids would clean the mess he created and he ordered food from the famous restaurants all over Tokiya (Or if he was willing to wait, all over the _world)_. He doesn't know a single thing about house chores and cooking, it was embarrassing to his girlfriend.

_Not like it mattered, because later in life Haruka would the one doing all the chores while Tokiya would work for their family and—_

He shook his head in embarrassment. He was already thinking of having a family with her when she doesn't even love him.

_Great_.

"So…" Her voice stopped him from his train of thoughts. "Why did you decide to visit me so early in the morning?"

Tokiya became flustered, unable to speak. He couldn't just answer that; it would be too pathetic of him to admit that he freaked out because of one silly dream. What would Haruka think of him now if she knew he was the type of person to panic at simple things?

It seemed like all this thinking took out his energy for his stomach started creating a sound similar to a dying whale.

"I guess that can wait?" The rosette chuckled as she served the pancakes on the dining room.

If it was possible, his face became a deeper shade of red.

.

.

"You should build your own restaurant." The bluenet ate the small piece of pancake on his fork. "I'm willing to finance your business. I'm not joking"

Haruka smiled; a tint of pink visible on her cheeks. "That's very kind of you, Ichinose-san. But sadly, I'm not planning to be a chef in the future."

He raised his eyebrows, eating the flat bread with finesse even if it was obvious he just wanted to gobble it down his throat. "Is that so? Speaking of which, Nanami-san." He took the glass of water beside his hand and drank it. "Since we are in third year of high school, what course are you planning to take?"

"That's… random of you, Ichinose-san." She laughed warily. "That came out of the blue."

He set down his work, wiping his lips with some tissue Haruka offered before he answered.

"I was just thinking about our future."

Golden eyes widened, she gasped softly. It took a moment for Tokiya to realize it sounded as if he's asking her for marriage, he mentally smacked his face.

"What I meant was," He coughed awkwardly. "I want to know which college or university you will take, if we're still going to be close to each other by then. That's all."

Her shoulders relaxed, Haruka became a little red from embarrassment. "Oh, hehe." She forced a laugh that sounded really weird. "I'm planning to take on medicine."

"Medicine, huh?" He repeated, deep in thought. He wondered what college or university would be good for both their courses.

"How about you, Ichinose-san?" The rosette politely asked. "I assume you're taking something related to business?"

His eyes darkened, nodding slowly. The air suddenly felt cold.

Everybody knew that Tokiya is the heir of the Ichinose Corporation. Everybody expected a lot from him, especially his father. Because of all the expectations piling on his shoulders, he became what he is now: a man with a dual personality.

"Can you tell me the reason now?" Haruka asked, changing the topic. The bluenet blinked, before he spoke.

"I had a dream."

There was a moment of silence.

"Are you quoting Martin Luther King? Because if you are-"

"I meant it literally." Tokiya answered dryly, it shut her up. Funny, in his dream there was a scene where Haruka was reacting about Hayato quoting something. He sighed depressingly before he continued. "It was about you, getting hit by a truck in front of my eyes while I could not do anything to save you."

Well, basically, that just wasn't his only dream. He has this other dream about the test and basketball, but it was not important so he skipped that part.

Once again, there was a moment of silence. He wondered if it shocked Haruka that it left her speechless. After a few more blank seconds, she spoke.

"Did you know, people tend to have 4 to 7 dreams every night?"

…_What?_

"And did you know," She continued. "People who are blind also dream?" She chuckled softly. "Though there are no images, they can only hear sounds."

"Why are you telling me this?" Tokiya stared back at her.

The rosette only smiled. "Because I'm going to tell you a secret. Please don't tell anyone. This will be a secret between the two of us.""

He raised an eyebrow before he made hand gesture, telling her to continue.

"I was born blind." Haruka said in a tone as if she was just talking about the weather. Tokiya opened his mouth, but no words came out of his lips. What should he say in a situation like this? '_I'm sorry' or 'Really?'_ He really doesn't know.

She shook her head, chuckling. "No, _almost _blind, to be exact. I had a rare eye disease that ruined my eyesight before I even knew what my mother looked like. I experienced having normal eyesight when I was 7 years old, after I had a surgery." She pointed at her eyes. "Ever wondered why my eyes have the odd color of yellow?"

Tokiya nodded. Haruka leaned back on her chair.

"Well, that's the answer."

He was taken aback. He always thought she had very enchanting eyes, but he didn't know it turned the way it is because of a disease.

"You might be wondering why I'm telling you this all of a sudden." Haruka whispered, looking at him eye to eye. "It's because I don't want you to think you're alone, Ichinose-san. I, myself, lived a life that wasn't normal so stop thinking about what other people think of you too much."

"I know the reason why you were so hesitant to tell me why you're here. You think I might laugh at you because you're being silly, right?" She paused, reaching out the bluenet's hand across the table, he gasped. "Didn't tell you I'll accept you no matter what you maybe? Even the silliest things about you, I won't laugh at it. You are you, Ichinose-san. Don't be ashamed."

Tokiya sighed in defeat; it was as if the rosette was reading her mind. He really can't hide anything from her, because she knew how to read him just like an open book.

"You know everything." He said, staring at the empty plate in front of him.

"I don't know everything; I just know what I know." Was her answer.

.

.

They walked their way to school.

"I'm going to tell you _my _secret." Tokiya whispered, moving his hand slowly before it wrapped around hers. Haruka blushed; surprised that he was bold to do such a thing. Early in the morning and their own their way to school, to add that fact. Somehow, she always thought he wasn't the type of person who liked to hold hands in public. And it seemed like she was wrong.

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow, ignoring the blood running through her face. "You still have more?"

The blunet chuckled. "It's not really a secret." He explained. "But more of a fact that only I knew. You said you were nearly blind up until you were seven years old, right?" She nodded, urging him to continue. He took a deep breath before he continued. "Well, I always had the feeling that my life started when I was seven years old."

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I have no memory from age six and below."

"Nothing at all?" She asked.

"Nothing at all." He confirmed.

They continued walking in silence, only the sound of their shoes as it hit the asphalt road was the only background noise you can hear. After a few seconds, Tokiya spoke again.

"I know it's normal for people to forget some memories from their childhood. But I've always found it odd one day, I just woke up. I knew my name is Ichinose Tokiya, I knew I was seven years old. But other than that, I knew absolutely nothing."

"Maybe you had a past injury that resulted to memory loss?" Haruka suggested.

"Maybe so." He nodded.

Suddenly, the atmosphere around them felt suffocating. If this was an anime, they would be releasing purple auras out of their bodies. But sadly, it was not. The rosette sweat dropped, changing the topic.

"Hey, Ichinose-san. Don't you think we seem like a real couple now?" She laughed forcefully, "I even cook you breakfast. If I cooked miso soup for you* this morning, don't you think we looked a married cou—"

Both of them stopped walking. Her facial muscles tensed up when she realized she just said something really weird. She slowly looked up, only to see wide blue eyes staring at him. For some reason, she saw a hint of… _happiness _in his eyes. Haruka blushed and looked away.

"Oh, look. We're here." Tokiya announced.

The rosette looked in front of them and saw the huge school gate. And as expected, one of Tokiya's messengers was waiting for his arrival. He was told that Shinomiya went berserk in the student council room and he was needed quickly. He nodded and told him to tell the members of the student council that he will arrive shortly. The messenger left.

"So… I guess duty is calling?" Haruka smiled sadly.

Before, she was often _relieved _when he leaves her. But now, it felt like there was a hole in the middle of her chest. For once, Haruka felt sad when Tokiya was leaving because of his job. He must have sensed her anxiety about his departure, for he did something Haruka expected him to do. _Ever._

"You know what will make us look even more of a married couple?" Tokiya pulled her closer and leaned down closer to her face. "A goodbye kiss."

Golden eyes widened, her breath hitched when he leaned even closer. From this distance, Haruka can smell his breath that still smelled like mouthwash that she lent him at home. It seemed like an eternity before she felt his lips… on her cheek.

He pulled away, a teasing smile on his lips. "See you later." He turned his heels and left.

Haruka stood in front of the school gate, dumbfounded.

And so another day at school started.

* * *

**Author's note: ***In Japan, when a boy tells a girl 'Make miso for me every day' or something along the lines, it's the same as asking their hand for marriage. Corny but sweet, I know xD

So. One of my stories got taken down by the admin of FFdotnet. Main reason for removal? I quote from the e-mail I read as soon as I woke up this morning,

"Rating: explicit content or adult content above current rating"

Oh, gee. Sorry. It seems like my story was so explicit you just HAVE to take it down. While YAOI fanfics ALL OVER fanfictiondotnet that are 10 times more descriptive that what I did WAS NOT that explicit for you that you didn't bother. Really, now? I just don't know what to say -_-

And to add fuel to the fire, I was about to post this yesterday, but they LOCKED my account so I can't submit anything. _Totally awesome_. Okay. Seriously. Glob, this pissed me off. Anyway, I need your help!

So, I need suggestions for the traits that Tokiya/Hayato will share in a chapter. For example, I'm going to make a date chapter and the trait acquired will be 'love' by Hayato. So yes, suggestions, prompts, and traits. I need them! Please tell me on your reviews!


	10. Chapter 10

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 10:

Used

It was a common-practice in Japan to separate girls and boys during PE class. It was because boys play different sports than girls or maybe the teachers didn't want their male students to ogle at the female students' oh-so-revealing PE uniform.

Either way, Haruka was glad their first subject was PE class. For once in her life, she was _glad _to attend it even though it was her worst subject, she's terrible at sports, and she's even _more _terrible at group sports.

She was so glad it was PE.

After what happened this morning, Nanami Haruka didn't have the guts to see Tokiya again. After all, he held her hand _and_ kissed her in front of the student body. After he left with that proud smirk on his face, the people who saw them were looking at Haruka as if she was some slut or something. Just thinking about it made her crouch down on the floor and sulk in a corner.

It made her uncomfortable, how he could carelessly do those acts without being ashamed of it. Boldness wasn't really considered a 'bad' trait, so she could consider it was naturally in Tokiya's personality.

Weren't they being too fast? They just got close to each other the other day, and now they're already on the PDA stage! This was all too much for Haruka's faint heart, just a little bit more of Tokiya's surprising antics her heart would explode from embarrassment!

"Everyone!"

Everyone turned around, only to see their sexy and beautiful PE teacher Sone Anna. She was wearing red trainer clothes that would usually make a person wearing them look stupid, but in her care she made it look hot. She had long black hair that was tired in a ponytail, her longs bangs were swept to the side. Haruka always found her beautiful; her perfect white skin was worth envying for. She was also kind and friendly to all students, making both boys _and _girls be her fans. She could be a model if she wanted. But there was one thing about her appearance that creeper the rosette: her dead empty-like eyes. Even if she was smiling, her eyes seemed to tell another story. Maybe it was just Haruka's imagination, though.

"Kondo-sensei is absent today, and apparently I have to take over his class." Sone-sensei groaned, rubbing her temples in annoyance while her other arm had a volleyball tucked underneath. "So we'll be having a joint class with 3-C!"

Some girls jumped in excitement, happy to have their friends from the other section to be their classmate again. Haruka stood frozen, forgetting the fact that she should be stretching her body rather than gawk on the new incoming students.

"Haru-chan!" A familiar voice shouted.

The rosette blinked. Her smell of vanilla shampoo enveloped her senses, a fiery red head that was on par with her hair was all she could she. She was suddenly trapped in a tight embrace; she did not have to guess who her perpetrator was.

"Tomo-chan,"

The energetic red-haired pulled away, flushing her signature 'Shibuya grin' at her. Haruka smiled back, a tint of pink colored her cheeks. It has been a long time since they talked, she was so happy to see her again. Especially after Tokiya's amusing feat, she really needed to talk with her girlfriend about boy problems.

.

.

After all the students finished stretching, Sone-sensei called for a volleyball match between the two sections. The athletic girls raised their arms energetically, wanting to be called and impressed their sensei, wanting to show who the stronger class is. As expected, Haruka was not part of their section's team. If this was an academic battle, she's always on the list. But if it's about sports, she was deemed as 'useless'.

"Tomo-chan!" One of the girls from the other group called. "Why don't you join the game? We'll win this for sure if you're with us!"

Tomochika looked at her friend, who was tuck-sitting on the corner. Haruka looked up, only to see the other rosette giving her a look of concern. She forced a smile, waving her hand in dismissal.

"I'm, Tomo-chan! Don't worry—"She didn't even finish her sentence, Tomochika looked at the other girls and faked a pained expression at them, holding her stomach.

"Ah! Gomen, gomen!" She said, clutching her stomach while her other hand was scratching her head. "I ate a lot this morning and I don't think I can play for now! Maybe later."

The girls from 3-C shrugged and started choosing other students for their members. The tall red-haired turned around and sat right next to a worried Haruka.

"Tomo-chan, you didn't have to do that." She frowned.

"Do what?" Tomochika feigned ignorance.

"You know what I mean!" Haruka raised her voice, but not enough for the other people to hear them. "I know you didn't eat this morning. You told me a few days ago you're on a diet." The red-haired girl tensed up, shocked that she was caught. "You made an excuse not to play so that I wouldn't get lonely.

The tall girl sighed; it was no use to lie if her best friend was the all-knowing Haruka. Even though she can be dense sometimes, she's good at telling whether a person is lying or hiding something.

"But I _have_ to, Haru-chan." She shook her head. "I would exchange anything just to hang out with you again!"

Golden eyes widened, she was taken aback. "Tomo-chan…!"

"Saa…" She smiled teasingly, leaning closer before poking the rosette on the cheek. "Tell me about that romantic kiss this morning!"

Haruka became as red as her hair. "Y-y-you already know about that?!"

"Of course!" Tomochika in a tone that might as well be saying 'duh!' "It was what the whole school was gossiping early this morning!"

_So there were many people who saw it…! _The rosette wanted to slam her head against the wall. _I don't know if I still have a face to show the school!_

"So, was there tongue?"

The whole gym became silent. It seemed like Tomo-chan's voice was too loud because suddenly all eyes were on them. The matched even _stopped _because of her lewd question. Haruka's body tensed up, like a deer caught in the headlines.

"Was there tongue?" She repeated, sounding a little impatient. It seemed like she was still oblivious to all the stares the from all the people inside the gym.

"Shibuya-san," Sone-sensei coughed awkwardly, catching the loud-mouthed girl's attention. _Then _did she realized how loud she was, she gave Haruka an apologetic look but the rosette looked like she would faint anytime soon because of embarrassment. "Please talk about such… matters in private."

"Shut up, _baba_!" Tomochika shouted, making all the girls gasp because of her disrespectful action. "I know _you _want to know. I bet _everyone_," She said with emphasis, most girls blushed. "in this gym wants to know!"

After a few seconds, many girls nodded in agreement. Haruka squeaked, her heart felt like it was going to explode. This was more embarrassing than when Tokiya kissed her!

"For your information, Shibuya Tomochika!" Good thing Sone-sensei fired back, clearly pissed off that her ace in the track and field team was showing their usual interaction during club meetings. "I don't have any interest with my student's love life! I'm already happy with—"

"Oh right." Tomochika smiled teasingly. "I heard you're dating Ishimoto-sensei!"

Most of the girls in the gym gasped, while some (most likely Sone-sensei's fangirls) literally fainted. The PE teacher blushed furiously, before she could answer, the man mentioned appeared in front of the gym door.

He had black hair; his bangs always covered the left side of his face. His eyes were the color of yellow, but with a hint of green. He was wearing a white lab coat over a blue shirt. He was wearing black pants and pointed leather shoes. He was tall with a handsome face. Even though he was a science teacher, he's a really charming man. Most female students always ask him why he chose this profession instead of modelling, just like with Sone, he said he was here because of someone. It seemed like the two beautiful teachers have known each other for a long time, so everyone assumed that this 'someone' was actually her. This is Ishimoto Ren.

"Hone—"He shook his head, Haruka wondered why he mistook his colleague's name. "Sone-sensei, we need to talk."

"Uh-oh!" Tomo-chan shouted. "I sense a lover's quarrel!"

The other girls joined the teasing, shouting 'Don't break up!' or 'Our ship might sink before it even sailed!' Sone-sensai glared at them, before shaking her head and announcing to the class that she'll be gone for a few minutes and to continue the match without her. The girls shouted a 'Hai!', she gave them one last smile before standing outside the gym with the young science teacher.

The class started whispering.

"Don't you think they suit each other?"

"Sone-sama belongs to me!"

"Sone-sensei belongs to _everyone_; Ishimoto-sensei shouldn't hog her all to himself!"

Tomochika sighed, relieved that everyone forgot about what she said a few minutes ago. She turned and looked at her best friend, before she could open her mouth to ask her question again, Haruka beat her out of it.

"Is it alright calling Sone-sensei such names?" She bit her lips nervously. "Won't you get in trouble?"

The red-haired athlete blinked, before she bust-out laughing. No one seemed to mind them anymore, for they were still busy gossiping about the teachers.

"Oh Haruka!" She wiped the tear off her eye, "It's a norm for me to call her like that! Don't you remember I'm part of the track and field team and she's the advisor of the club? We're actually buds and we eat ramen together after practice! After all the ramen and sakes and I bought her, all she could pay back is to allow me to call her _baba_!"

Haruka nodded, though hesitantly. She knew Tomo-chan has the habit of being friendly with other people, to the point where she becomes _over _friendly and disrespectful. As her friend, she needed to remind the energetic girl about respect to other people.

In front of the gym, where the two teachers were talking, the beautiful shouted.

"—_AI_?!"

"_I sense a third party_!" The red-haired shouted, enough for her voice to echo until the outside of the gym.

Sone-sensei went back inside the gym with an angry look, it seemed like she heard Tomo-chan. She immediately went to the track and field ace, crushing her temples with her knuckles. The poor athlete winced in pain.

"_Shibuya_," She said with a smile but her tone was menacing, it sent chills to Haruka's spines. "Another word from you and I'll be giving you 100 laps on training. Understood?"

Tomochika straightened up, nodding fiercely.

Sone-sensei smiled again, now a demonic aura was emitting from her body. The two red-heads crawled away from her in fright. She turned and faced the court.

"Minna!" She shouted, catching their attention. "I'll be out for a bit! Please behave while I'm gone!"

"She's gonna have a date with Ishimoto-sensei!"

All eyes turned to Tomochika, she shook her head and made a gesture saying it wasn't her. They all turned to the other ace of the track in field team, a girl with short brown hair with a headband on her head, Ayumi. A nerve popped on Sone-sensei's head.

"That's it, Takahara. 10 laps on the oval later."

"What?!" Ayumi made the 'scream' face, the whole class laughed.

"That's all girls, see you in a bit!" She said before turning around to meet the other teacher, her voice became a whisper. "Who are we sending?"

"You know…" He said in a casual tone, their voices became softer and softer as they walked away from the building. "That corrupt politician…"

Once the two teachers were out of sight, the gossip, the game, and the two red-haired's chit-chat continued.

"Do you think it's alright for our teacher to leave like that?" She whispered.

"Meh," Tomo-chan only shrugged. "Enough about those two, tell me about the kiss!"

_She still remembered…_ Haruka sighed in disappointment.

"No tongue or yes tongue?" Tomo-chan looked like she was going to explode from excitement; she was literally jumping while she was sitting on the floor.

The rosette blushed.

"N-n-n-no t-t-t-tongue…" The energetic red-haired snapped her fingers, shaking her head in disapproval. "He kissed me on the cheek… I do not think Ichinose-san is the type so lick someone's cheek, Tomo-chan."

"WHAT?!" Tomochika stood up from her sit in shock. "He only kissed you on the _fucking _cheek?!"

All eyes went on them again; the whole gym became awkwardly silent. Haruka pulled the red-haired back on the gym floor, covering her face with her hands. Tomo-chan laughed nervously, telling the other girls to not mind them. After they went to their own business, the red-haired leaned closer and lowered her voice.

"What?! They told me it was on the _lips!"_

"L-l-l-lips?!" Haruka stammered, clearly shocked. So that's why she was treated being called a 'slut' because they thought she was making out with the president in front of the gate in the middle of the morning!

Amethyst eyes widened, a sudden idea came to her mind.

"Hey, Haru-chan?"

Haruka blinked. "Yes?"

"Have you ever..." She paused, looking away bitterly. The rosette wondered why she was making such a reaction. "Kissed Ichinose on the lips?"

The rosette blushed crimson. She looked down, closing her fist in embarrassment. "W-w-what made you ask all of a sudden?"

"Just answer, Haruka."

Haruka looked up, surprised that her best friend called her by her real name. Whenever she does this, it only means one thing: Tomochika was dead serious. And Tomo-chan wasn't the type to act serious, no matter what. Deciding that she should throw her shame away, the rosette answered truthfully.

"No."

"Have you held hands?"

"Yes."

Tomo-chan sighed in relief, hands on her chest. "At least he did that one…" She paused abruptly, her eyes dilated before she shook her head. "No, even _they _would do such a thing if they're desperate…"

"Tomo-chan," Haruka whispered, getting worried and tensed up because of the way the red-haired was acting. It was weird; she looked like a detective who was close on solving something. The question is: what is the mystery she was trying to solve? "Is everything alright?"

She looked at the rosette with such intense eyes; it made her gasp in shock. After a few seconds, it turned into a smile and she shook her head.

"No, it's fine." She said, but Haruka knew better. Her smile was a forced one. "Just answer my last question honestly."

Haruka nodded hesitantly.

"What was his reason why he asked you?"

She blinked.

"What?"

"Please, Haruka." She grabbed her hands, eyes were pleading. "You have to tell me! It's for your own sake!"

Haruka tilted her head to the side, frowning a little. She did not know why Tomo-chan needed to know, but it seemed it sounded so important so she'll just tell her. After all, they are friends. She can trust her among all the people in the world.

"He told me he doesn't know."

"'He doesn't know?!" Tomochika repeated, but this time she was so shocked, she only said it in a whisper.

Haruka nodded.

The red-haired placed her hand under her chin, doing the 'thinking' pose. If this was a normal event Haruka would have teased her, but since her tone sounded as so sharp it could cut her skin, the rosette decided to shut up.

"Haruka, please don't be shocked." Tomo-chan said, but it was only scaring Haruka of what was coming. "I'm going to tell you something really important, but first, take a deep breath. I don't want you having a panic attack or something."

Haruka arched an eyebrow but followed. She inhaled slowly, and exhaled. Tomo-chan patted her on the shoulder and opened her mouth.

"You're being used."

Haruka only gaped, unable to react.

"And what's even more disgusting," Tomochika gritted her teeth, her fingernails digging on her best friends shoulder. She winced in pain but didn't say anything. "You're being used as a cover."

"Cover?"

"Don't you understand?" She removed her hand, Haruka sighed in relief. "Okay, Haruka. Take another deep breath. Because I thought you would understand as soon as I told you."

The rosette inhaled and exhaled. After she was finished, Tomochika spoke.

"Ichinose is gay."

Haruka deadpanned.

"…What?"

"I know you're shock, Haru-chan." The red-haired said in a comforting tone. "I am, too but—"

"You don't even know Ichinose-san." Haruka said, the volume of her voice increased as each word escaped from her mouth.

"But Haruka," Tomochika grabbed both her shoulders, trying to calm her down. "Doesn't it make you wonder? You're his first girlfriend. No one has ever seen Ichinose talked with any girl, so the whole school was shocked when we found out you're dating him out of nowhere!"

"And so?" She said in a voice that was much louder than her usual, it might as well be considered as 'shouting' in her case. "Just because he doesn't talk with girls you think he's gay?"

"Nanami Haruka." Tomochika shook her body softly, snapping her out of her growing anger. "It has been a long talk in our school that Ichinose and Ittoki are… like _that_."

Haruka made a face. _She _saw what they were like in the student council room. They acted like how Nanami would act around Shibuya. In other words, they were best friends. Has the world become this malicious they think of friendship as '_gay'? _If that's the case, every single one of us is homosexual because we have friends of the same gender!

"And maybe Ichinose heard about the rumors about him, so he tried to use any girl he could find just to cover up his sexuality and—"

"SHUT UP!" The usually silent rosette exploded, rising up from the floor. "Don't you dare defame Ichinose-san in front of my face!"

"Haru-chan…" Tomochika looked up at her, clearly surprised that for the first time, she heard her best friend raise her voice. And to add the fact she was doing it to _her_, _Shibuya Tomochika_, her best friend. She looked away, biting her lips. "He changed you…"

Haruka took a step back, tears brimming in her eyes. She wanted to apologize; she didn't mean to shout at her like that. But it doesn't mean she's her best friend she could talk about Tokiya like that!

"I'm… I'm going to call Sone-sensei—"Before she could even finish her sentence, a volley ball appeared out of nowhere and hit her on the head. Haruka fell flat on the floor, a loud thud echoed across the wide gym as her head hit the ground.

"Haru-chan…?" Tomochika crawled closer to her best friend, turning her body and brushing her hair off her face. "Haru-chan, are you—"

Amethyst eyes widened when her fingers felt something wet on Haruka's scalp. She slowly pulled her hand away, face slowly contorting to horror when she saw a red liquid on her fingers.

"HARUKA!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Inspired by a certain review xD

I borrowed the three non-UTAPRI characters from different animes because I certainly am not fond of OCs. Clue: The two teachers and the student who was told to run 10 laps xD Can you guess who they are?

I'm still waiting for more suggestions!


	11. Chapter 11

Futari no Himitsu:

Chapter 11:

Yes!

Long lashes fluttered opened, the first thing Nanami Haruka saw was the blank white ceiling. The smell of medicine enveloped the air; she guessed that the slightly hard surface she was sleeping on was a bed. No doubt, since she used to be a frequent visitor of this place, she was currently inside the clinic.

She looked around and wondered how she got here in the first place. Haruka tried sitting up, only to feel an intense throb on the left hemisphere of her head. Wincing, she fell back on the bed, making a soft creaking sound.

"Oh," A familiar voice said. "You're awake."

Golden eyes widened, Haruka froze as the bed curtains were slid aside. She saw her boyfriend, Ichinose Tokiya, standing in front of her with a smile on his face.

Tomo-chan's voice echoed in her mind, the rosette couldn't help but look away. She remembered now. She shouted at her best friend, couldn't take the effect, and was about to walk out when something hit her on the head and Kami knew what happened next.

Tokiya mistook her action as pain; he went closer and gave her the water bottle.

"Careful, Nanami-san. The nurse said your wounds aren't deep, but it's not a good idea to move around that—"

"Are you gay?"

Blue eyes widen, Tokiya raised an eyebrow as if contemplating if he heard it right. Haruka knew this question would shock the heck out of him, but it was better to bring it up than later! She was not a woman of patience, if she wanted to know anything, she'll seek out the answer as fast as possible. Dilly-dallying only made matters worse, she'd want to prevent that.

Of course, she knew it was stupid to doubt her boyfriend's sexuality. She, of all people, knew how manly Tokiya can be. But after hearing Tomo-chan's words, she could not help but think of the possibility. She didn't want to think about it too much, but everything her best friend said just made sense.

Tokiya continued to stare at her, the longer he did, the more her doubt felt like reality. She clenched the sheets with her hands, waiting for his answer.

After a few more seconds, he closed his eyes and sighed. An amused smile decorated his lips, he began shaking his head. Haruka tensed as she sat on the bed, she did not anticipate such reaction. She would expect him to be flustered and deny such accusations. Or maybe get angry, for even asking him that question. Not _this_, he looked as if he wanted to laugh at a joke that he hear for the _nth_ time so the effectiveness completely disappeared.

"I assume you heard the rumors circulating around the campus?" He asked, opening his eyes. Haruka nodded and he continued. "That I'm apparently homosexual and I happen to have a relationship with Otoya, my best friend. Or in some stories, my other good friend, Hijirikawa. Or any other people they fancy to pair up with me.

"And because I'm the president and it would not do well for my reputation to have such accusations being passed throughout the school, I decided to date some random girl just to eliminate those allegations."

He paused and took a deep breath; looking at the rosette with serious eyes it gave shivers to her spines. "People have the hard time distinguishing whether a gossip is true or not. It may be the truth, but if the people think it isn't, then it is not. It may be lies, but if they believed in those tales, people consider it as the true. It doesn't matter if it's real or not, but if the people believe in it or not. So, Nanami-san, I ask you, do you think I am?"

Haruka bit her lips, looking away. Tokiya smiled sadly, sitting on the clinic bed to be closer to her. She moved away, refusing to be close to him but the bluenet grabbed her and pulled her to his chest. Golden eyes widened, a gasp escaped from her lips.

"Out of all the people in this world," He whispered close to her air, hand patting her head. "I did not expect _you _to doubt me."

She could not take it anymore, guilt won over as tears streamed from her eyes. She buried her face on his chest, hands clutching his shirt.

"I'm sorry." She cried, her sobs grew louder. "I'm sorry for asking such thing even if I already knew the answer."

"Shh," Tokiya tried to calm her down. "It's alright. I know how powerful the power of suggestion can be. I will not blame you if you've heard someone tell stories about me and had your doubts." He paused. "But I wonder, who was that person and what did he tell you to make you think that I'm homosexual."

Haruka pulled away, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her uniform. "It was Tomo-chan," She whispered. "My best friend."

"Ah," He nodded. "I understand. Of course, you'll believe the words of your longtime friend rather than a man who suspiciously forced you to date him out of nowhere."

"That's not it." She shook her head. "She gave me her reason why she thought you might be gay. I have been pondering about for some time, but now that someone else seemed to notice it, I couldn't help but wonder myself."

"Is that so?" He said. "Care to tell me about those reasons?"

Haruka looked up, eyes wide in shock. She looked away once more, afraid to tell him the reason she heard that was enough for her to almost turn her back on him. Tokiya patted her on the head, telling her that it was fine. She sniffed and nodded, proceeding to talk.

"First, she told me that you don't hang out with women. You were always around men, especially Ittoki-san." She said, making sure not to say the wrong words so that she could not offend him. "But now that I think of it, you don't like hanging out with other people in _general_. I think the possible reason is that you're afraid Hayato would appear and hurt those people. Which happened exactly to _me_." The bluenet nodded, meaning she stated it correctly. "And about 'you're always with men' part, you do not have any gender preferences on which should be your friends, but the boys, _STARISH_," She corrected. "Has always been there with you so you got stuck with them without a choice. It's not because they're boys so you hang out with them, they just _happen_ to be. If one of STARISH was a girl, I doubt you would mind it."

"Because you said first," Tokiya smiled, impressed with her answer. She seemed to have understood him more than he thought. "I guess there's a 'second' or possible a 'third'?"

Haruka nodded.

"Second, actually, this was what Tomo-chan first hinted but… okay." She rolled her eyes at her own lame explanation and continued. "You… are not p-p-p-physical with me."

Blue eyes widened, surprised at her reason. Haruka blushed, noticing his reaction. She gulped and continued.

"But the third reason was the real reason that made me wonder about you." She said. "You told me you don't know why you asked me out. Actually, after thinking about this reason, the two just popped out of nowhere to support the theory that you're gay but…" She shook her head and smiled at Tokiya. "It doesn't matter. I know you're not gay. You already showed enough of your sides to prove you aren't."

Tokiya chuckled, pulling her again in an embrace. Haruka was about to protest when he decided to lie down on the bed, dragging her with him. They fell on the bed with a loud thud, the rosette wasn't surprise that the nurse haven't told them to get out of the clinic yet.

"Though I am slightly hurt to think that you rather believed in them than me," Haruka sobbed, ready to cry in guilt when he laughed in amusement. She pouted and turned red, punching him playfully at the chest. "I suppose it was my fault for not explaining myself to you." He sighed, "I guess we still have to learn more about each other."

Haruka didn't say anything. Instead, she silently agreed by nodding. The bluenet chuckled before grabbing her waist and pulling her up, now they were face to face on the bed. Golden orbs stared at his sapphires, his warm breath against her pale skin.

"And because you were so kind of enough to tell me your reasons," He smiled at her. "I'll be willing to tell you _my _reasons for _doing _it."

The rosette nodded, waiting for his explanation.

"For your first reason," He paused before giving her a pat on the head, careful not to touch her injury. "I think I do not need to explain! You said my reason better than how _I _would elaborate it."

"So I was correct?" She asked in a shy voice.

He nodded. "More than correct, your explanation was exact to what I want to tell you. You're right about the fact that I don't like to socialize that much, I know it sounds horrible for I am the president of the student council, but I find it hassle when students come to talk to me."

Haruka nodded. She had seen what he was going through every day, at school. When they're together, students come to talk to him for different reasons. Some were representative from clubs who wanted a fund raise, some were students who wanted advice, some were his fans, while some just wanted to look popular because, 'Hey, look, I'm talking to the president!'. Just looking at it made her head spin, she didn't know what will happen to her if _she _was the one facing such trial every single day.

"And STARISH happened to be an all-boy group, I can't help it." He paused. "But I _do _have something I want to add so that you'll know about it…"

"What is it?"

"I _do _have something against hanging out with women. Well, _most _of the female population at least." Golden eyes widened, surprise at what he said. "It's not because I'm sexist or anything like that." He quickly added, before she could get any wrong ideas. "But when I was young, my parents had a divorced when I was one years old. I've always thought, if my mother was with me during the times my father would scream and hit me, don't you think she would have stopped it? I would not have suffered such a traumatizing childhood and I wouldn't have turned… like this?"

Haruka knew what he meant. If his mother was there to stop the abuse, Hayato might not have existed in the first place.

"It stuck to my mind that the first woman in my life abandoned me… So you can say it had an impact to my views. When I was in elementary school, I studied in an all-boys school. That's when I met my group, STARISH. We became friends since. And that's all the reason why we don't have a female member. During that time, I barely had any interaction with women aside from my teachers and servants at home.

"But when I was in middle school, I was enrolled in a co-ed school. The sudden appearance of many women in my life overwhelmed me." Tokiya made a face and shivered. "Let's also add the fact they treated me like a circus animal that was for show."

Haruka was about to ask what he meant by that when she realized. Middle school was the age when most children undergo the first stage of puberty; it wouldn't be surprising if Tokiya's male pheromones charmed her female classmates which in turn, scarred her views with the female race.

"I was stalked day and night." Tokiya said the encounters as if it all happened in one day. "Girls would take my picture without my permission. I found my locker being forced open, my gym clothes taken. My shoe locker was always filled with letters and gifts, it was maddening! Whenever I appear, girls would shout my name and call me on first name basis!"

The rosette watched his expression as he recounted his experiences to her. She couldn't help but smile in amusement at how expressive his tone and facial expressions were, it was nice hearing him talk about his past with such dread in his voice.

"So yes," He nodded, sighing as he finished remembering the terrors of women. "I have a hard time talking with women without having the feeling as if they were out to get me."

"It must have been hard for you." Haruka whispered.

His blue eyes that were once filled with terror as he recalled his memories were now gentle. The rosette once again realized how close they were it was making her uncomfortable. She looked away, but he cupped her face and forced her to look at him.

"Second reason, you said I wasn't physical with you." His voice became low; Haruka regretted saying that in the first place. "It was because I didn't want to force to."

"What?" Golden eyes widened.

"I don't think you're ready for more." He whispered. "I saw your reaction when I kissed you on the cheek, you looked as if you're about to explode in embarrassment."

Haruka turned as red as her hair. Well, yes. She has been thinking that they were going too fast, and it troubled her. But now, why did it sounded as if she _wanted_ for more? She doesn't really know. Maybe it was because of Tomo-chan's suggestion…

"And let me remind you of what Hayato did." His expression darkened, she really didn't need to be reminded. "I'm scared that I might have traumatized you. I love you, Nanami-san. I don't want to open a wound that's nearly healed." He paused, chuckling. "But it seemed like you also _want _me to—"

The rosette shoved her hand on his face, shutting him up. Tokiya chuckled; she put her hand away with a blush.

"But if it's physical affection you want…" He said. "I've always wanted to do more. But I'm scared that I might be hurting you so I don't want to push my luck. But only if you knew," He leaned closer, Haruka thought their lips would touch so she moved her face away. "Every night, I dream of wanting to touch you—"

She blushed, knowing where this was going. "Ichinose-san," She said. "Please, I do not need the details of how you masturbate thinking about me."

Tokiya blushed, but smirked.

"I didn't even say I was." He teased. "You have such a lascivious mind, Nanami-san."

Haruka opened her mouth for some retort, but no words came. She looked away, trying to act calm when she was caught red-handed.

"But If you're wondering," He added, just to make her even more flustered. "I do—"

"Ah!" She covered her ears, closing her eyes. "I can't hear you, I can't HEAR YOU!"

Tokiya laughed, pulling her hands off her ears. Haruka struggled, annoyed that her boyfriend was still not done with his teasing.

"But if it's physical affection you want," He repeated, but now with a much calmer tone. "Let's go on a date."

She blinked.

"What?"

"I mean think of it," He said. "During dates, we could hold hands, flirt around, and have our first kiss if you want! I think it's the perfect event for physical affection-"

"How could you say those things without feeling embarrassed?!" She shouted, covering her face to hide her blush.

Tokiya laughed, he _loved_ it when he's on the upper hand!

"So…" He stopped laughing, instead there was a smile implanted on his lips. "After we finish our exams, on Sunday, let's have a date!"

"Wait a minute!" She protested. "You still haven't told me why you asked me out!"

"I'll tell you on our date!" He promised. "Are you in?"

Haruka pouted, it took a moment before she answered.

"Yes."

With his free hand, the bluenet fist-pumped. She couldn't help but laugh at how cute he looked. After he stopped acting like an idiot, he sat up and pulled Haruka with him. Like a ragdoll, she followed. He smiled at her and leaned, once more, their faces were so close. Her breath hitched.

"I love you." He whispered. "Even if you don't, even if a day would come that you would detest me, I love you. Forever."

"I—" Before Haruka could finish her sentence, Tokiya grabbed her on the back of her head.

Golden eyes widened, as their lips finally touched. His lips were soft, just like how he imagined. Now that she thinks of it, maybe she the reason why Hayato avoided _her _kiss.

Because, he knew, that her first kiss should be with her boyfriend, not him.

Suddenly she felt his tongue probing her lips, Haruka gasped. Tokiya quickly grabbed the opportunity and pushed his tongue in. She moaned, their tongues glide around each other in a languid motion. First, it was only sweet. Tokiya wanted to make sure she can get a hang of it. After a while, he got impatient and became aggressive. Haruka didn't know why, but she like this feeling. It was making her light-headed, her mind devoid of any thought but 'It feels good'. It was all too much for the innocent girl, her body weakened and she fell on the bed, Tokiya followed her anyway, still continuing their tongue war even with the sudden change of position. After a few more seconds, they both ran out of air and pulled away.

"Is that enough physical affection for you?" He said in sexy breathless voice, wiping the string of saliva off his mouth.

Haruka blushed and opened her mouth to answer.

"YES!"

The two abruptly looked to their left, where the door is. Or _was_. Because of the weight placed on the door, the hinges broke and the door landed on the floor with a thud. As soon as the entrance fell, so did several men and one female.

"STARISH...?" Haruka blinked, wiping her mouth. "Tomo-chan?"

They immediately stood up, fixing themselves. They all laughed warily, silently panicking that they were caught. The rosette didn't seem to mind, but the blue-haired boy was already out of the bed, a dark aura emitting from his body. They all gulped in fear as he wore a deadly expression on his face.

"Care to explain why you people are spying on us?"

Oh, _yes, _indeed.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

WHO HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THE KISS?! I AM! ;D

Did my writing style change? Hm. Sorry if I didn't go very detailed with the kiss. Maybe this STORY MIGHT BECOME EXPLICIT and get TAKEN DOWN -_-. Enough about that. Oh no, Monday is getting closer! I don't want my summer to end! I'll be updating as much as possible while I still can because I'm serious, I'll be disappearing from the face of fanfiction dot net until Friday afternoon comes!


	12. Chapter 12

Futari no Himitsu:

Chapter 12:

An excuse to spend time with you

After an hour of giving the seven students who couldn't mind their own business a good old scolding, they flee from his sight as quickly as possible.

"_Mataku_!" Ichinose Tokiya rubbed his temples in annoyance. "Those people, spying on us like that! What are they, 7?"

He stopped grumbling when he heard Nanami Haruka chuckle, finding the grief of her boyfriend amusing. He pouted, crossing his arms.

"Mou! Nanami-san! Aren't you a little bit mad about what they did?"

She stopped laughing; only a light-hearted smile was planted on her face. Tokiya noticed how beautiful she looked sitting on the clinic bed. Lips were red and slightly bruised, cheeks were still pinkish, and her hair was still slightly dishevelled after their heavy make-out session. He couldn't help but smirk. Haruka noticed the look on his face, she blushed and looked away.

"Judging from your face, you're thinking about what happened earlier." She whispered, a hint of embarrassment in her tone.

"But I couldn't help it!" He raised his shoulders for emphasis. "You just looked so… _erotic_ while—"

"_Stop_!" She screamed, surprising the bluenet. It seemed like she, too, was shocked by her sudden outburst. She turned a little red, looking down on her lap, playing with the hem of her skirt. "Stop it," Her voice was now a whisper, the same level of voice as when they first talked. "It's embarrassing."

He smiled, walked back to the bed and sat beside her. Haruka crawled away, giving him space but Tokiya only pulled her closer.

"I'm sorry." He said softly to her ear, sending shivers to her spin. "I can't help teasing you. You just look so adorable when you're cornered."

She huffed and crossed her arms, Tokiya laughed and hugged her. Surprisingly, she did not protest. She just blushed while he was sharing his warmth to her body. Haruka blinked, remembering something.

"Ichinose-san, how long was I out?"

"About an hour and a half." He answered.

Haruka did the math inside her mind. An hour and a half, plus their—she blushed—cuddling time which was approximately thirty minutes, plush another hour for Tokiya's scolding session…

"So we've been here for three hours." Golden eyes widened. "Won't the teachers get mad?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry. It seems like our class for today got cancelled."

"Cancelled?" She repeated.

"Yes." He nodded. "It seemed like some politician disappeared without a trace. Some said it was kidnapping. Teachers were advised to let us stay at home for today until clear things up. While Hyuga-sensei said Shining only gave us extra time to study for the exams."

She raised her eyebrow at the last suggestion. Their principal doesn't seem that kind to give them extra time, so the kidnapping reason was most-likely. No matter how scary it might sound. The voice of Sone and Ishimoto-sensei's exchange echoed in her mind.

"_Who are we sending?"_

"_You know…" He said in a casual tone, their voices became softer and softer as they walked away from the building. "That corrupt politician…" _

"So when was it announced that our class will be cut short today?" Haruka asked, trying to forget about the cryptic memory.

"Hm." Tokiya looked up, thinking. "I'm not really sure. As soon as I heard you got into an accident, I immediately went here. I just heard about it from Hijirikiwa and the others when they came to visit you."

Golden eyes widened, surprised that STARISH went to all the effort to come visit her here. Or maybe they went here just to inform Tokiya about the cancellation, which seemed more like it. It's not like they're close with them in the first place. If it was Tomo-chan, sure. But it's them he's talking about…

"Ichinose-san," She called with an urgent tone. "Did Tomo-chan-"

"Bring you here?" He finished for her. "Yes. She's also the one who passed me the news. She was crying when she went to me and told me it was her fault why you got in that wound on your head."

"Tomo-chan…" Haruka whispered softly, Tokiya barely heard it if it weren't for his keen ears.

She remembered shouting at her best friend for accusing Tokiya as 'gay'. She didn't mean to do that, she was just mad that of all people, she expected Tomo-chan _not _to judge a person out of some random rumors. She had the urge to apologize to her.

"She was also here with me for the whole time you were unconscious, telling me about what happened." He continued.

She twisted her head to the side, so that she could see his face. "So you knew? About the gay thing?" she added.

He nodded. "I know about the rumors they're spreading to ruin my reputation. But I didn't know some people actually _believed _that about it. And as you told me, one of them was your friend.

"She confronted me about it while you were unconscious, telling me that I chose the wrong girl to use as a cover for my so called 'real sexuality'." Tokiya emphasized the words and rolled his eyes, Haruka laughed. "I told her that I'm a real man and I truly am in-love with you."

She blushed a little, he continued.

"She finally stopped shouting at me and left because she said unlike us, she's not that smart. But she left with parting words."

"What was it?" She asked.

He closed his eyes, chuckling. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and recited the lines with the same intensity as what Haruka recognized as Tomochika's way of speaking.

"If you try to hurt my best friend, I'm not afraid to hunt you down!"

Haruka's golden eyes widen, tears brimmed her eyes. She knew it was because Tomo-chan wanted her to be happy that's why she said those words. She did not mean to insult Haruka's boyfriend, but she only wanted to warn her of the possibility and did not want Haruka crying in the end. She smiled, happy to learn this.

She stopped, pulling away from the bluenet's embrace. Tokiya only watched her as she gave him a questioning look.

"So that's why you didn't look so shock when I asked you if you're gay!"

He shrugged. "Well, I was expecting you to ask me that sooner or later. But I was shocked when you asked me off the bat, as soon as you woke up."

"But why did you play dumb?" She furrowed her eyebrows, she felt as if she was made a fool.

Tokiya sighed, sensing the annoyance in her voice. "Nanami-san, I only wanted to know if you're going to believe me or Shibuya-san. So I acted like that."

Hesitantly, she nodded.

"Though you have to admit," The bluenet grinned at her like a fool, it made Haruka wonder for a second if it was Hayato who was currently speaking to her. "My speech sounded really awesome."

She nodded in agreement. "Yes. It was somehow… quote-worthy, I should say."

He puffed his chest proudly, Haruka shook her head, couldn't believe her boyfriend was acting so childish.

"Oh, fifteen minutes after she left, you woke up by the way." His eyebrows furrowed. "But after their spying incident failed, I guess she only disappeared to call the other members of STARISH to spy on us." He shook his head in disapproval. "The nerve."

"Wait," She said. "You said Tomo-chan left me to study, how about you. Why didn't you leave?" She was greeted by a look that said 'isn't it obvious. "Don't tell me you waited for me to wake up."

He nodded, smiling.

"You didn't have to, Ichinose-san." She frowned. "You should have gone home and study rather than wait for me."

"But I decided to study _with_ you today." He argued. "After all, I _am _your boyfriend. I think it's my duty to help you with your studies, right?"

Haruka sighed. "You do know that I am capable of studying with my own. After all, I _am_ part of the top 10."

Tokiya blinked blankly, as if he wasn't aware of that. The rosette shook her head, muttering a soft 'I can't believe you'.

He moved a bit closer, Haruka expected him to hug her again but instead he rested his chin on her head. She winced in pain, Tokiya remembered about her injury. He apologized profusely, but she told him it was alright. Tokiya now rested his chin on her shoulder, which was better because it was closer to her ear and she like hearing his voice so close.

"Or maybe I'm just making an excuse so I can spend time with you."

She felt blush rushing to her cheeks. For some reason, this reminded Haruka of their time inside her apartment. Tokiya was being honest with her, saying words so sincerely in a way she never imagined he was capable of doing. He seemed like a distant guy at first, but it turns out he was really sweet and honest. She was willing to see more of these different sides of Tokiya.

"Fine." She said, feigning defeat. "Let's study. Together."

Blue eyes widened, glittering in delight. He nodded with a grin.

As each day passed, it seemed like Tokiya is turning into a different person. Unknown to them, he has been unconsciously absorbing Hayato's traits every day. No matter how slow it was. It will only be matter of time before Ichinose Tokiya will become a normal person. Like every single one of us.

.

.

The two were currently at the city library, even if the librarian was skeptical to let them in because she knew about the orders to make sure students go home early. But once the y stated their purpose, the librarian gave up and let them in.

"This is so nostalgic!" Haruka eyed the bookshelves with great interest. "I used to visit here so that I could study for the Saotome entrance exam."

"Is that so?" Tokiya said, following the rosette as she went to the second floor of the building and chose a special table near the huge window.

She patted the table, before pulling out the chair. She looked at it the furniture as if it was a sentimental treasure to her, the bluenet couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He decided to keep quiet, taking the seat in front of Haruka so they could look at each other face to face.

"What is your weakest subject?" Tokiya asked, taking out his notes from his bag and placing it on the table. Haruka looked up, placing her index finger on the side of her lips.

"Um… I have a hard time in Chemistry and—"She paused, golden eyes widened when she saw Tokiya wearing a pair of _glasses_.

He blushed, looking away. "Please don't stare at me like that." He whispered, clearly embarrassed. "I lost my contact lens a yesterday so…"

Haruka blinked, realizing that she was caught ogling at her boyfriend's face. She defensively shook her head, raising both her hands for emphasis.

"I'm sorry for staring!" She said. "This is the first time I saw you wearing glasses; it just caught me off-guard." She laughed warily. "But it suits you really well, Ichinose-san!"

Tokiya raised his glasses, the insecure look on his face disappeared. Instead, there was a gentle smile decorating his face. He reached out her hand, Haruka's heart started beating fast.

"Don't tell me you have a megane-fetish?"

Haruka blushed, furrowing her eyebrows while puffing her cheeks.

"I do not!" She shouted defensively, her voice echoed throughout the silent place. From downstairs, they heard the librarian shout a 'Please keep quite'. Haruka quickly shouted her apology, while Tokiya tried to contain his laughter. After the rosette stopped panicking over the ruckus she created, she went back to her seat. The bluenet looked at her and then sighed, crossing his arms.

"How unpleasant." (_Fuyukai desu_.)

Haruka clearly understood the reference. She took her bag and threw it on his face, which he caught with one hand.

"I told you," She tried to keep her voice quiet, but the intensity of her annoyance can still be noticed. "I do not have a megane fetish."

He smirked. "Right."

The rosette rolled her eyes, seizing the bag from his hand."Let's start!" She took out her things from inside the bag, changing the topic. The bluenet looked happy with his victory before nodding.

.

.

After reviewing every material that would probably come out in their test tomorrow, Haruka released a sigh. Tutoring session with Tokiya was intense, he had this no-nonsense attitude that he rarely display towards her. It somehow scared her, how he was teasing her a few minutes ago and then now he was acting like scary Hyuga-sensei.

_As expected from a person with a dual personality_.

"You're quick to understand." He noted, taking off his glasses. Golden eyes widened, which was immediately noticed. "Would you prefer it if I wore this while talking to you?" He smirked.

Haruka pouted, glaring at him. "No. You can take it off."

Tokiya chuckled, returning his glasses on its case. "Otoya took ages before he understood the ideal gas law!" He continued his previous statement, which she was thankful for because it meant she will no longer get bullied.

"Ichinose-san," She said, rubbing her temples. "I _told _you, I'm part of the top 10 in our year. Of course things like this are easy for me."

"I know." He wrinkled his nose. "I was just messing up with you."

The two started fixing their things, a moment of silence passed between them.

"So…" Haruka decided to break the silence. "I've noticed you're really close with Otoya."

He nodded. "Yes. Out of the seven if my friends, he was the first one to accept Hayato without thinking I was a freak."

The rosette pondered about what he said, placing her pencil inside her pencil case. Ittoki seemed like that kind of person, the type to stick with his friends no matter what people might think of him.

"He was also the one who persuade the other members of STARISH to study at Saotome Academy. He told them that the group wouldn't be the same if one member was missing, which was me."

Golden eyes widened, she stared at him in disbelief. "So it wasn't a coincidence that you seven have been studying in the same school since elementary?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "No, we were supposed to go our separate ways in high school. But one day, they decided to go to some other school named Ootori Academy, but when they found out I was going to study at Saotome, they joined me because of Otoya's persuasion."

"Why did you study at Saotome in the first place even if it risked you to be separated from your friends?" Haruka couldn't help but ask.

He smiled at her and winked.

"It's a secret." Haruka pouted. "How about you, Nanami-san. Why did _you _study at Saotome?"

She gasped, surprised that she was asked. She looked away, a blush on her face.

"It's because… my father used to study here." She whispered shyly. "I'm trying to follow my father's footstep that's all."

"Really?" He looked genuinely curious. "That's some devotion, and you said a while ago that you used to go here just to study for the exam."

She nodded, fidgeting as she returned her notebooks inside her bag.

"It's because I decided it since I was young." Her voice was overwhelmed with determination; Tokiya couldn't help but stop at what he was doing just to stare at her. "I'm going to be just like my father. I will study hard and become a good doctor that will bring hope to her patients!"

"That's nice," Blue eyes darkened, looking down on the heel of the chair. Haruka noticed the sudden change in his tone. "To have your own dream."

She didn't have to guess. After what Hayato revealed to her on the rooftop, it wasn't hard to connect the dots. Tokiya has lived his entire life following his father's instructions; he wasn't allowed to say 'no'. Failure to comply resulted a beating from him. It must have felt like he was just a puppet in his father's plan to expand the Ichinose Empire.

"You know," Tokiya tried to sound cheerful, changing the topic. "My mother is also a doctor. She's an Ophthalmologist."

Golden eyes widened in delight. "Really? That's amazing!"

He grinned. "I know. I'll want you to meet her when she visits me."

"M-m-meet her?!" Haruka became red. "Wait a minute, aren't we being too fast—"

"That's not what I meant!" He chuckled, amused that her girlfriend was already thinking about such things. "I just want you to talk with her, you know. To answer your questions about medical school or something."

She nodded, smiling at him. "Thank you, Ichinose-san. That means a lot for me."

He shook his head.

"I only want to help."

After a few minutes of cleaning, they head down and left the library.

.

.

"Ichinose-san," She called as they walked their way to Haruka's apartment. Even though she said she can go home by her own, Tokiya insisted to walk with her. "While we were in the clinic, you told me the first woman in your life abandoned you. While we were in the library, it seemed like you were proud of her. I actually expected you to resent her or something."

Tokiya stopped walking, staring at her in disbelief. Haruka also stopped, realizing how insensitive she sounded. She immediately panicked.

"I'm sorry, that's not—"She immediately shut up when he continued walking, entwining his hand with hers.

"It's okay." Tokiya said calmly. "_I'm_ the one who should be sorry for making you think like that."

They walked in silence; Haruka wondered if he's going to let the topic slide but decided not to say anything. After a few minutes he sighed.

"It's not like I resent her." He explained. "More of… I felt _disappointed_ that she would leave me like that with Otou-sama."

_Otou-sama_, Haruka echoed in her mind. This shows how distant he is with his father.

"But it's alright!" He forced a smile; it was somehow painful to look at. "Because of visitation rights, Okaa-san visits me twice a month."

"_Twice a month_…" She repeated. "That's…"

"Not enough?" Tokiya continued for her. "But it can't be helped; it was decided during their divorce. It seemed like the Ichinose Empire need an heir while my mother didn't. My father said it would be best if I didn't meet her, but that would violate my mother's right as my parent."

A moment of silence.

"I'm sorry for making you talk about such a painful subject."

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. That happened sixteen years ago. There's no point crying over the past." He looked at her, "How about you, Nanami-san? What about your parents? They seemed really nice towards you."

Haruka fell silent.

"My father died after I got my eye surgery. I never got to see his face. Only in pictures." She said blankly, even though it feels painful until now. "While my mother left me as soon as I was born. I've been living with my grandmother since Otou-san died."

Awkward moment of silence.

"I…" He scratched the side of his face, unsure what to say. "I'm sorry."

Haruka shook her head. "No, you're right. There's no point crying about the past."

Before Tokiya could say anything else, the rosette pointed at the building in front of them.

"Oh look, we're here." She turned around and faced him, slinging her bag on her back. "Thank you for walking me home and for the free tutor session." She forced a smile, Tokiya didn't smile back. "I'll be going—"

Golden eyes widened, she found her face buried on his lean chest. Tokiya exhaled angrily, arms wrapped around Haruka's small form tightly.

"You don't need to sound nonchalant about it." He whispered. "Don't hold back your tears."

_And so she did._

Tokiya walked her towards her apartment. Haruka insisted that she was already fine, but he said she sucked at being a liar. He stayed at her apartment for at least 3 hours, until Haruka calmed down. It was already around 5 pm when he left, telling her these important words that would never leave Haruka's mind starting this day on.

"It's not fair that you saw my vulnerable side. Please Haruka, lean on my shoulder. You might not know it, but I heard what you said to Hayato: Don't bare the pain all to yourself."

Nanami Haruka was so glad her boyfriend was Ichinose Tokiya.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

**EDITED: **Thank you for BloomFreenz for informing me I accidentally posted the wrong chapter :)

Did you guys get the 'Fuyukai' reference? I'll hand it to anyone who knows it xD

Tomorrow is Monday. I nicely wrote 'End of the World' on my calendar. I DON'T WANT TO ATTEND SCHOOL! NOT YET. I AM NOT HAPPY. Okay guys. Please remember that I love you so much and I WILL return. Because this week, we're just going to do the 'introduce' yourself thing so we won't have quiz/exams. YET. Okay. I finally knew the feeling that you wished this day wouldn't end. Seriously. Once again, I LOVE YOU GUYS~! Good thing we have a holiday on Thursday so I _might _be able to update. Until then, bye guys!

P.S.

I'm sorry if I might get late on replying to review or PM. I really am.


	13. Chapter 13

Futari no Himitsu:

Chapter 13:

Do I have to remind you?

"Time's up." Hyuuga-sensei announced, tapping at his wrist watch. "Pass your test papers forward."

Nanami Haruka sighed, placing down her mechanical pencil as well as her lucky animal eraser. Call it ironic, but the shape and the color of that animal eraser was a black cat. Black cats were considered as the symbol for bad luck, but for Haruka, it was her beloved eraser that _Obaa_-_chan_ gave to her before she left for the city.

Today was Saturday, the last day of their exams. For the last four days, she has been battling with the monster called 'mid-term exams' and she can openly admit the she has defeated this abomination without breaking a sweat.

Of course, this was because of Ichinose Tokiya. She was glad that her boyfriend tutored her, even if she knew she understood the lessons well, having some 'genius' explain the subject a little bit more really helped her.

Hyuuga Ryuuya congratulated the class for all their hard work and told them to enjoy their earned weekends. He bid farewell and left.

As soon as the door closed, everyone in class either rejoiced or mourned. Some students started chattering, asking one another if they knew the answer on a certain question, so on and so forth. While some took their leave, trying to forget the possible outcome of their test.

Haruka stayed on her chair, trying to recollect her thoughts. Even though she said that she found the test as easy, it goes without saying that it took a toll on her body. All that thinking made her head messed up, all the formulas and the important dates still echoed in her mind. She only snapped out of her daze when she heard a sound of a chair being pulled.

"So," A voice called. "How was the test?"

She looked in front of her, only to see Tokiya leaning on her table with a smile on his face. Judging from the look on his face, _he _didn't find it really hard.

_Of course_, Haruka chuckled inside her mind. _He _is _Ichinose Tokiya. No test is considered 'hard' for him._

"It was fine." She answered softly. "I answered everything with ease because you helped me study."

The bluenet puffed out his chest proudly, like a young pre-schooler boosting to his teacher about his work. Haruka laughed, finding it refreshing to see her boyfriend act like a child and not some high-schooler who acted too old than his real age.

I know I said it a few times already, but the reason for Tokiya's sudden change of demeanour is because Hayato's personality is slowly joining with his each day.

"How about you?" Haruka asked, just to be polite. "How was it?"

Tokiya smirked arrogantly; you can guess that the rosette automatically rolled her eyes. Raising an invisible pair of glasses, he answered.

"Basic."

"Oh?" The young girl feigned shock, humouring the male for her _own_ entertainment. "Is it now?"

But of course, Tokiya won't be considered as a genius if he can't even identify someone who was just trying to play along with his game. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"Enough about the test," He said impatiently. "How about our date tomorrow?"

Golden eyes widened, the muscles on her small body grew stiff. Haruka laughed warily, scratching the side of her face while avoiding his gaze. Tokiya deadpanned, clearly not amused with her reaction.

"You forgot about it?" He asked, but it sounded more like a statement rather than a question.

Shyly, Haruka nodded. The bluenet face-palmed, releasing a sigh of exasperation. The rosette forced a smile, trying to hide her guilt.

"Sorry about that, Ichinose-san." She whispered, trying to calm him down. "I was so worked up with the test that I have completely forgotten about our promise from last Tuesday.

"It's okay." Even though he said that, his facial expression as well as the tone of his voice seemed to contradict. "What's important is," He sighed again, probably trying to erase the disappointment that Haruka just forgot about their plan so easily. "We can talk about our plan for tomorrow."

The rosette blinked blankly, tilting her head to the side. Tokiya contained his voice, but failed dramatically. Even if he was still hurt about how the rosette seemed like she didn't care about their date, he just can't help but forgive her when she's being this adorable.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked.

Golden eyes widened, she sat up straight and opened her mouth to answer. Tokiya was surprise that Haruka immediately thought of something. He guessed that it was probably the mall or some fancy restaurant all girls want to visit, according from what he heard Jinguuji Ren said about where girls would like to go on their first date.

But instead of hearing her answer, his phone started ringing.

A nerve popped on Tokiya's head. He smiled tightly to her and excused himself; Haruka said it was fine so he fished out his phone from his pocket, only for him to stop on his tracks and it felt like someone kicked him on the stomach when he saw the caller phone.

The bluenet declined the call and returned the small gadget on his pocket. He returned his gaze back to the lovely red-haired and made casual 'Continue' hand gesture.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Haruka asked curiously.

Blue eyes darkened, Tokiya slowly shook his head.

"It's not important." He said nonchalantly. "It's probably _Otou-sama_ telling me to go home and do my job on our company."

"You _help _your father on managing your company?" She shouted in disbelief.

He raised an eyebrow, nodding. He found her reaction as odd, until he realized that not all people were raised like him. Not everyone was raised and _designed _to be a business tycoon like how Ichinose Tokiya was born and _forced _to believe he was.

"I've been helping in our company since I was 10." He added.

Haruka looked completely impressed. Tokiya felt a sense of happiness in his chest; it seemed that his girlfriend finally found something about him as 'amazing'_._

He was about to tell the rosette to forget about the call and tell him where she wanted to go. But before he could properly construct his sentence, his phone started ringing.

_Again_.

Tokiya angrily gritted his teeth, while Haruka told him to just answer the call. The bluenet smiled at her and thanked her for understanding as he took out his phone and answered it. The call lasted less than 5 seconds for the Ichinose head immediately hung up, he was a busy man so he can't waste time talking to his son. The bluenet sighed, placing the phone back to his pocket.

"He told me to go straight to the company because he's going to boost me to the other CEO of different companies in Tokyo." He said as if he's just talking about the weather.

Judging from what Tokiya said, Haruka can't help but feel distaste for his father. _Obaa-chan _told her that it was bad to judge someone without knowing them personally. But after hearing that he used to beat up his son just because he wasn't 'perfect' and he's displaying his son to his workmates like some trophy or something, it was really not helping his image in her mind.

"Are you going to leave?" Haruka asked, even if she already knew the answer.

Hesitantly, he nodded. Somehow, she felt a sudden ache in her chest. She tried to make it look as if it was alright for him to suddenly leave, but Tokiya knew her more than she thought.

"Meet me at Sakuramichi Street tomorrow. 10 am."

Haruka blinked.

"What?"

"Oh Nanami," He wagged a finger at her face, mocking her. "You have such a short memory! Do I have to remind you that it is Date with Haruka day tomorrow?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Obaa-chan- grandmother (close)

Otou-sama- father (with high respect)

Oh my gosh. Sorry guys for the late update! School has been such a monster on me. Every time I return from school, I feel like an elephant decided to play jump rope on top of me -_- And we still don't have exams yet. Oh boy, the horror. Sorry for those people I haven't PM-ed yet. As I said before, I've been really busy I can't reply yet. Please wait for a little bit longer and I will reply to you soon!


	14. Chapter 14

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 14:

Date with Haruka…?

Nanami Haruka stood in front of the small azalea garden in Sakuramichi Street, admiring the colourful flowers while it was still on the peak of its bloom.

Yesterday, when the news reached Shibuya Tomochika's ears about the date, Haruka was dragged to the mall to buy some clothes. When Tomo-chan was asked how she knew about it, she answered:

"Does it even matter?" She did not even give her a glance while speaking; eyes were busy scanning the rack of clothes. "What's important is," She took a white dress from its hanger and shoved it on Haruka's arms. Golden eyes widened and she took it without a word. "I'm gonna make you the prettiest girl Mr. President has ever seen!"

And now, Haruka was getting worried that she looked _too _dressed-up even though it was just a date.

She admitted that she was grateful for the help, since this was her first date and she didn't have any clue about what to wear on such occasion. But what if her boyfriend thought she was trying _too _hard to look pretty? What if he said the clothes she was wearing doesn't suit her?

Haruka shook her head. She must be happy on her own skin before others will notice her true beauty, that was what Tomo-chan said this morning when she barged inside her apartment to give her a make-over.

Today, her red-locks were ironed to give her hair a more pronounced bob-cut. Her hair was now longer compared to the day she first entered the gates of Shining Academy, so her bob cut didn't look so 'bouncy' anymore. Tomo-chan also applied make-up on her face, but she chose light colors because Haruka 'looked better with it' because of her 'innocent charms'. She applied some eye-mascara and eye-shadow to bring out the color from her enchanting golden eyes. Her cheeks were painted pink, to give shade to her normally pale cheeks. The redness of her lips could have beaten the apple Snow White ate; Haruka just hoped she can stop herself from licking it clean because of its tempting flavour.

For her clothes, she was wearing a knee-length white dress. Even though she was not fond of wearing heels, Tomo-chan forced her to wear a pair of stylish black boots. The taller red-haired insisted on buying her some accessories, but Haruka told her that she didn't need to burn her money all for her first date.

She got to admit, when she looked in front of the mirror, she could not believe that the girl staring at her wide-eyed was herself. She looked pretty, _beautiful_ even. But of course, it was expected. After all, Shibuya Tomochika, the owner of one of Japan's leading cosmetics and clothing line, was the one who invested on her.

After tiring her eyes out, Haruka took out her phone from her small purse.

_10:30 am_, It said.

"Ichinose-san's late…" Nanami muttered, returning her phone back to her small bag.

She wondered if something came up but decided against it. If something occurred that prevented him from attending their date, Tokiya would be the type to inform his date. Not make Haruka wait in the middle of the wilderness.

Now that she thinks of it, why did Ichinose-san choose this place for their meeting area? It was in front of a shrine in the middle of the forest, almost out of the boundaries of Tokyo. It would be really dangerous if they were out at night because of the wild animals and the potentially ill-intentioned people in this world.

Haruka felt something wet landed on her cheeks. She looked up and saw the angry grey sky, the rain fell harder and harder. She thought of seeking refuge from the rain, but thought against it. What would she do if Tokiya arrived, only to see no one at their meeting place?

The rosette shook her head.

"I will wait for him." She whispered silently, tucking her drench hair behind her ear.

..

_Meanwhile, at the Ichinose Mansion…_

"I forbid you from seeing that wench!" The voice of Ichinose Hajime echoed throughout their huge residence as he stormed out of the dining room. "You will remain here and do your task as the heir of the company!"

The Ichinose head was unexpectedly young. He was only on his mid-thirties, still handsome and well-built. He had stormy grey eyes and furrowed eyebrows that made him look as if he was always scowling. His hair was a darker shade of blue but with a few strands of grey; it looked almost black if one did not look at it more closely. He was wearing an expensive blue suit, for in a few hours he will depart and attend a meeting with one of Japan's leading company. Of course, he had to look presentable.

"But _Otou-sama_…!" Ichinose Tokiya argued, following him out of the room. "I have finished it all yesterday—"

Blue eyes widen when his father turned around, cold grey eyes glared at him. Shivers ran through his spines, all the terrifying memories that hid behind the back of his mind resurfaced. His voice failed him, all the words that he was meaning to say got caught up in his throat.

Through the window, Tokiya could see that it started raining. He felt worried that Haruka might still be standing in the middle of their meeting place, but he wished she was sane enough to find shelter from this rain. But knowing her, she would probably wait for him on the exact spot. Not caring it she was drenched or if she got sick. He felt a stronger pang of dread on his chest.

"Since you've been going out with that woman, you have started defying me!" He shouted angrily. "I have allowed you to make friends with that group of yours because Hijirikawa and Jinguuji will be your ally when you take the company. But that woman…!" He gritted his teeth. "I tell you, she will be the reason for your downfall! Cut all ties with her now, Tokiya. That is an order!"

The bluenet opened his mouth, but no words came. He looked down, biting his lips bitterly while his hands formed a fist. The Ichinose head smirked, usually by this time his son would obediently nod his head and say, 'Yes, Otou-sama'. He turned around and continued walking, but was surprised when footsteps followed him and Tokiya seized his arms.

"Please, Otou-sama." He begged. "Please allow me to attend my meeting. She… _Haruka_ is a very important person. I love her—"

"Love?" Hajime scoffed. "My son, there is none like that in this world. That feeling so-called as 'love' was only created by humans to continue on with their beliefs of a happy fairy tale-like life! But no, Tokiya. 'Love' will not grant you happiness. Money, power, and fame _will_. Heck, I bet that woman is only following you around because of those three—"

"You're wrong!" He gripped his father's arm tightly. "Haruka isn't a gold-digger! In fact, I was the one who courted her. She's not like any girl I know," His voice softened as he remembered the beautiful rosette. "She… accepted me for who I am."

"You are a fool." Hajime shook his head in disbelief. "I expected more from you, my son. I thought you were a man that knows how to deceive, not the one _being _deceived. Mark my words, that woman is only doing this for the money. Just like…"

He managed to stop himself he could say anything unnecessary. But Tokiya knew what he was going to say, he knew it since long before. He knew the reason why his father became a bitter man; he knew why he took all his anger out on his own son. It was because of…

"Soragami Shirayuki."

Hajime flinched. He glared at his son, as if the name itself was the embodiment of all his pent-up anger. And it was. Tokiya knew.

"Just like Okaa-sama, is that what you're going to say?" Tokiya asked. The older Ichinose did not reply. "Otou-sama, have you forgotten. _You _were the one who told Okaa-sama that if she married you, you will fund her studies in medicine. She made it clear from the start that she only married you for the money, please don't put the blame all on her—"

Tokiya did not even finish his sentence. He felt a sharp blow on his cheek; the poor boy fell on the ground like how he usually did years ago when his father became violent. Just like this moment.

"Do not speak of her as if you knew what happened!" His voice was seething in hate; grey eyes looked cloudy as the storm outside. He knelt down on the floor and grabbed his collar; treating him as he they weren't even related. "You are only a mere child, don't act like you know anything. If only you weren't important to the Ichinose Corporation, I would have beaten you to death years ago!"

"…Try beating us up again this time, I won't hesitate to fight back."

Grey eyes widen, he was shoved harshly and he fell pathetically on his bottom. He gasped, looking at his 17-year old son as he stood up and he fixed his collar, glaring at him while his at it.

"Old man." He said menacingly. "If you try hurting Tokiya again, I will avenge him."

No, this was not his son. It was Tokiya's dual-personality. The reason why he stopped hurting his son was because of this horrifying creature. Unlike his weak-willed son, this being had the backbone to threaten him. He remembered, back when Tokiya was 7 and it was also the first appearance of that monster.

"_Do this again and I won't hesitate to defame you." The being, who called himself as 'Hayato, warned. "I will report it throughout the company, to the news, to every single person in this world, how much of a sick bastard you are and how you treat your son like this!"_

After 10 years, this completely disappeared from his mind. And this monster just had to remind him.

"I don't care what bullshit are you against, but I'll make myself clear." Blue eyes were cold; warning Hajime of all the things Hayato _can _do and _will _do if he crosses the line again. "Don't. You. Dare. Hurt. Tokiya. Again."

With that, Hayato turned around and left to God knows where while Hajime stayed on the floor, completely dumbfounded at their sudden reunion.

…

Hayato jumped on his bed, caressing his swollen cheek.

"That fucking old man…!" He growled, fishing out Tokiya's phone from the pocket of his jeans and he started fiddling with it.

As you all know, Hayato appears when Tokiya hears a sound that 'resembled' danger. But he also appears when Tokiya is _in _danger. But that rarely happens because he believed that his other-self isn't careless enough or wasn't the type to get into fights. So when Hayato 'woke up', only to feel an excruciating pain on his face, it certainly didn't make him laugh.

He continued playing on Tokiya's phone, only to see an 'event' written on his calendar. He blinked and clicked on it, blue eyes widened when he read the reminder and its details.

_Sunday._

_Meeting Place: Sakuramichi Street_

_Event: Date with Haruka_

_Be there before 10 o'clock!_

Hayato immediately checked on the time, his heart nearly jumped out from his chest. It was already 11 AM. An hour after their meeting time. He looked outside the window, it was raining hard. Judging from Haruka's stubbornness, he guessed that she's still waiting there in the middle of the rain.

He didn't even properly change his clothes. He just took a white shirt and a blue jacket from Tokiya's closet and wore it as fast as possible. Because he was already wearing jeans, he had no problems with that. He wore a pair of socks and wore his pair of sneakers. He immediately headed out and called their driver, telling him to drive him to Sakuramichi or wherever this place was.

…

It was raining hard.

Haruka didn't move a step away from where she was standing. She was drenched from head to toe; she looked like some pitiful lost kid. She wanted to cry, she really did. She couldn't believe that Tokiya just ditched her out-of-nowhere.

'_He didn't ditch you_.' A hopeful voice inside her head assured her.

'_If he didn't,' _A mocking voice asked. '_What do you call this?'_

Haruka sneezed.

She took a handkerchief from her purse and wiped her face. She has been feeling cold for a while, but her body felt uncomfortable warm. Her sight has become rather hazy for quite some time now. She wondered if she's gotten the flu, after all she stood in the middle of the rain for an hour.

She shook her head, not wanting to be pessimistic.

"You just sneezed." She told herself. "Just because you sneeze doesn't mean you have—"

And then she blacked out.


	15. Chapter 15

Futuri no Himitsu

Chapter 15:

The name of your savior

Ichinose Hayato quickly jumped out from the limousine as soon as they arrived at Sakuramichi Street.

To his utter surprise, the 'street' doesn't even look like a real street! The cemented floor looked worn out; as if no one walked on it much so no cared if it wasn't repaired regularly. It was in the middle of a forest, in front of an old shrine. Wherever he looks, all he could see were trees and not a single building except the shrine was there.

'_Why would Tokiya choose such location as their meeting place?!' _Hayato screamed inside his mind. '_He could've chosen a place in Tokyo where there's a lot of buildings to hide under in case of sudden change of weather! Didn't he think of the possibility that it might rain? There was no good shelter here except that temple.'_

Knowing Nanami Haruka and her level of stubbornness and stupidity, she would stand inside the same location where she arrived a while ago because she's worried that 'Ichinose-san might not see her if she moved' even if the rain was this horrible.

The blue-haired ran across the wide path, looking for any signs of a bright red-hair. Blue-eyes scanned the forest, he continued running forward even if he could barely breathe after all this running. His sneakers splashed against the puddle of muddy water, his shirt was drenched from the rain. He completely looked like drenched chick, but he could barely give a damn about it.

_Haruka's more important_… He said to himself. _Haruka is…_

After searching the whole area like a mad man, Haruka was nowhere to be found.

Hayato ran his hand through his wet hair, looking at the grey sky as if he was ready to cry. Clattering lips parted, he released a sigh of relief.

"Thank God…" He muttered under his breath. "If she's not here, then it probably means she went inside the temple to take shelter."

Even if his clothes felt heavy after the water sipped right through it, while his shoes were so muddy he was afraid that the shrine people won't let him enter, he walked towards the temple like a soldier in a war.

Good thing there was someone standing in front of the temple, so he didn't need to go inside and potentially sully a clean temple floor.

On a closer look, the man in front of the temple seemed like a monk. He was bald, like how monks usually are. He was wearing an old blue kimono; holy beads were wrapped around his left hand while on his right hand he was holding a transparent umbrella. He wore a pair of wooden clogged shoes, which you call as '_geta_ sandals' in Japan.

"Excuse me," he called the monk's attention. "Has a small red-haired girl gone inside?"

The monk squinted his eyes, studying the young bluenet in front of him.

"Oh," The old monk replied in a hoarse voice. "You must be referring to _that _girl."

For some reason, Hayato felt something was wrong. He mentally shook his head and continued. "Is she here?"

The monk shook his head, blue eyes widened in horror.

"She was standing in the middle of the rain for an hour." The monk explained. "I told her to stay inside the temple but she refused, telling me she's waiting for someone." Hayato felt a strong pang of guilt in his chest, his hands formed a fist. "I was getting worried that she might have gotten sick standing outside for a while, but when I came back to check on her, I saw her lying on the ground."

Hayato could not even utter a '_what_?' He was too angry to even think properly. He was angry with that bastard called his 'father' for being a hindrance to their date. He was angry with Tokiya because he doesn't have balls to fight with his father. He was angry at Haruka for being such an idiot, standing in the middle of the rain just for her boyfriend. He was angry at himself because he doesn't share his memories with Tokiya. If he knew that they had a date, he wouldn't have wasted time lazing around the house but instead ran here as fast as he could and everything would have been prevented.

He was stopped from his train of thoughts when the monk continued.

"I was about to call an ambulance when a man about," He looked at Hayato from head to toe. "Your age and he told me that he's going to take her to the hospital."

His blood started boiling. It took his everything not to seize the monk's collar and ask who the fuck that 'man of his age' was. What if that man didn't really bring Haruka to the hospital? What if he took advantage of her while she's unconscious? Hayato would _never _forgive himself if that happened. He would also burn this whole damn place if it did.

He inhaled deeply, trying to calm his nerves.

"Do you know who that man is?"

The monk opened his mouth and spoke, blue eyes widened as he recognized the name.

* * *

Nanami Haruka slowly opened her eyes.

She found herself lying on a futon, inside a well-designed traditional Japanese room. She tried sitting up, but her body disobeyed. She just realized how heavy her body seemed; her eyes and body felt really hot if felt like her internal organs were being cooked by her own blood. Her head felt groggy, her nose was also runny, while her throat felt like sandpaper.

She wondered how she got here and _where _this place was.

She heard the sound of Souji doors sliding, she tried turning her head to check who her visitor was but even her neck felt unresponsive.

A figure went inside and sat on the tatami mats _seiza_-style. He was wearing a forget-me-not printed midnight blue kimono; an ink-colored obi was tried around his waist. His graceful movements looked as if he was dancing, but maybe it was just because of Haruka's sick mind.

"It seems you are awake." A somewhat familiar voice said, but Haruka had no clue who this person was. She could still not move so she could not look at his face. He did not wait for her to reply, he moved closer and Haruka could finally see his face. Though her sight was ridiculously blurry, she knew who owned such hair color.

"I was surprised to see you standing in the middle of the rain in front of the shrine." He said calmly. "I was about to call you, but you fainted before I could even open my mouth." He shook his head in disbelief. "Nanami-san, I thought you were sane enough to not stand in the middle of the rain. You really are full of surprises."

Haruka didn't speak; instead she stared at him with her gold eyes like a curious child. The man seemed embarrassed to look at her eye to eye, he blushed and looked away.

"Don't worry." He covered his face with his hand, trying to cover the redness of his face. "It was not I who changed your clothes. I had my maids change you into our guest kimonos, for I do not think it is right for someone sick to wear such damp clothing."

He leaned in closer, eyeing her curiously. "But do tell me, Nanami-san." He whispered. "What were you doing in front of that shrine, in the middle of the rain? I did not expect someone like you to even know such place."

Eyes scanned her flustered skin; he could not help but awe at how innocent she looked like right now. If Haruka was lucky it was he who found her and not some random stranger. Any perverted man would take their chance to violate such a beautiful girl.

Honestly speaking, Nanami Haruka was not his type of girl. But for some reason, there was this sweet charm in her that makes you attracted to her. Though she looked plain, there was this special _something _that makes any man want to take her as their own.

He waited for her to reply, but only silence enveloped the room. He wondered if she did not hear him, he opened his mouth to repeat his words but was stopped when he saw a pure expression on her face. He could not contain a gasp, she looked so angelic!

Because of her fever, she looked as if she was blushing. Gold eyes softened, looking at him affectionately. Pink lips smiled at him, taking his breath away. She opened his mouth, wanting to say something. He waited eagerly, wanting to hear her request.

Instead his heart nearly stopped when he heard her words.

"I knew you would come, Ichinose-san."

His smile faltered, but he tried not to show it.

"_Sou_," He nodded, closing his eyes. "I did." He shook his head and asked how she's feeling. "Would you like me to order the maids to bring you food or an extra blanket?"

Haruka strained to, but she managed to shake her head in reply.

"I'm fine." But her physical state begged to differ.

"I see. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask me. Well then," He bowed politely. "I will be taking my leave." The young man went out of the room, closing the Souji behind him.

"But it wouldn't have hurt if you knew the name of your savior." Hijikawa Masato sighed, rubbing his temples.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

So... nothing happened much. I was thinking of making this one a long chapter, but because I have 8 test tomorrow and I have reviewed none, I divided it into two parts. I should be working my butt by 5:30 xD I'lll try reviewing each subject an hour and a half each! I guess I won't be sleeping tonight xD

So, did you think Hayato was the one who was going to save her? ;) Hahaha. But well, if you actually read some parts specifically, you would have guessed that Masayan would probably pop-out. Remember Date with Haruka Week: Chapter 5: _Wednesday: Date with Hijirikawa Masato? _What was the name of their meeting place?

_Sou_.

Reviews, favorites, alerts are much appreciated!


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Notes: **Sorry for not updating for 2 weeks! Man guys, I'm busy as heck! SO guys, I have to correct something. Haruka's savior was Masato. Tokiya and Hayato didn't split. Again, it was MASATO. Shout out to Dani-senpai who said she's going to read my fanfics xD Hey senpai!

**Unedited:** Have mercy on me guys. It's 1:19 am and I have to wake up early tomorrow. We have flag ceremony and I'm not planning to be late xD

* * *

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 16:

Fairytale

Ichinose Tokiya arrived at the Hijirikawa mansion a few minutes later.

Surprisingly, or should I say surprisingly _not_, the man himself, Hijirikawa Masato, was standing in front of the gate, waiting patiently for the bluenet's arrival.

Hayato walked towards him, the sound of his sneakers made a sound as it splashed against the pool of rain water. Masato looked up, looking grim for some reason. He did not smile upon seeing him; instead it seemed to dampen his mood even more.

"She has been waiting for you, Ichinose." He said calmly.

'_Which Ichinose?' _Hayato wanted to ask, but he already knew the answer. Of course, she was waiting for Tokiya. Not _him_. They were the one who was supposed to be going on a date. Not them. Tokiya was the boyfriend. Not Hayato.

Instead, he nodded.

Masato made a gesture, as if saying 'follow me'. He did as he was told and followed him silently as they entered the huge mansion.

As soon as they stepped inside the house, they were greeted by kimono-wearing maids. The bluenet could help but feel amused every time he visits here. It seemed like he was visiting a traditional hot-spring or inn, and not the house of one of Japan's most influential family.

Not like the Ichinose family isn't.

But the different with the two families is that the Ichinoses was modernized, while the Hijirikawas remained faithful to what you call a traditional Japanese family.

It is quite evident just by looking at Masato. His manner, way of speaking, and even the way he walked showed how traditional they were. Even the way his father treated him was the same as how a 'traditional' Japanese father would treat him.

Masato was forced to learn kendo, calligraphy, _ikebana, _archery, and whatsoever for the sake of remaining 'true to his origins'. His father didn't talk to him unless he wanted to inform his son he's taking him to a business meeting. He was secluded from other normal children because his father was afraid that he might learn some bad ethics because of them. And when he was in middle school, Masato went inside his father's office, only to see his father's plans for him since he was born until the present written on an index paper. It was funny, Masato said, how his whole lifetime can be summarized on a stupid piece of paper.

You can say that Tokiya and Masato became close friends because of their childhood.

The two, or should I say, _three, _met during a business party. Three of Japan's richest business tycoon attended it along with their sons. It was no other than the heads of the Ichinose, Hijirikawa, and the Jinguuji Company.

Tokiya, Masato, and Ren became friends starting that day.

But it was not until a year later when they met Ittoki Otoya, Kurusu Syo, and Shinomiya Natsuki. Ichinose Hayato was introduced later. While Aijima Cecil officially joined them on the first year of middle school.

Hayato couldn't help but sigh, all this things happened ages ago but it felt like it was yesterday to him.

"Ichinose."

The bluenet halted, almost bumping the _other _bluenet if it weren't for his quick reflexes. He blinked, wondering what the problem is. It took a good 2 minutes before Masato made a sound, which was an angry sigh.

"You are the worst man I have ever encountered."

Blue eyes widened, before Hayato could even react he found himself pushed to the wall, hands tightly gripping on his collar. He stared at Masato's eyes, those usually calm orbs looking menacing and brimming with hatred.

"How could you let your girlfriend stay in the middle of the rain waiting _for _you?" He snarled, the grip on his collar tightened and Hayato almost choked. "You should be glad that _I _was the one who found her and not some stranger!"

Thin eyebrows furrowed, Hayato met Masato's eyes with an equally angry glare. With all his strength, he pushed Hijirikawa. The bluenet let go of his collar as he fell a few steps backwards. Masato looked away, clicking his tongue.

"You think _I _wanted this to happen!" Hayato shouted. "It's not my fault Tokiya doesn't have any balls to fight his fucked-up old man! If only I can control this body, I would have immediately gone to her side!"

Amethyst widened, it took a whole minute before Masato could process his words.

"Wait," He stared at him disbelief. "You're… _Hayato_?"

A moment of silence.

"The fuck? You only realized this now?"

Masato blushed, looking away.

"Please forgive me." He coughed awkwardly. "It seemed like I was barking on the wrong tree."

The other bluenet rolled his eyes, playing his hand on his hip.

"It's fine, Masato." He said. "Just show me where Haruka is."

The Hijirikawa heir nodded. He turned around and continued walking, Hayato following behind him.

"Thank you, Masato." He said shyly, scratching the side of his face. "I don't know what I'll do if something happened to that idiot."

Masato smirked, but it's not like the Ichinose could see it.

"You might be thanking me now, Ichinose. But next time this happens…" He paused, his tone threatening. "I won't promise that I won't do anything to Nanami-san."

Blue eyes widened, hands formed fists by his sides.

"You wouldn't dare." Hayato gritted his teeth, he sound as if he might pounce on him anytime soon. But Masato continued walking, acting oblivious to the other male's menacing aura.

"Oh, but I _will_." He said. "I won't let a pretty gem turn into waste because of its careless owner. You have been warned." And before the other bluenet could say anything, Masato added. "And I'm not the only predator here. Every single one of STARISH wants her. I know _you _also want her, Ichinose _Hayato_."

Hayato blushed, he opened his mouth and was about to deny such allegations when the Hijirkawa heir announced.

"We're here."

He blinked, watching the graceful man as he opened the Souji door for him.

"She's inside this room, resting." He looked at Hayato, for some reason his eyes shined in amusement. "But I have to tell you, she has a fever so she might say some very _weird _things."

Hayato was about to ask what he meant by that when Masato suddenly pushed him inside the room. He fell forward, falling flat on his face. He slowly stood up, rubbing his sore face. He turned around and was about to shout at Masato for his surprise attack, only to get the Souji door slide harshly in front of him. Hayato growled and was about to get back on the other bluenet when he heard a cheerful but childish voice.

"_Otou-san_! I've been waiting for you!"

Hayato immediately turned around, staring at the rosette in disbelief.

Nanami Haruka was lying on a futon, comfortable tucked under its blanket. Her usually white skin was now pinking due to her fever. Golden eyes were looking at him, but for some reason Hayato felt like she _can't _see him.

_Wait a minute… did she just call me her father? _Masato's warning echoed in his mind. _Maybe it's because of her fever and now she's hallucinating._

He walked and sat in front of her. The rosette looked delighted to know that he was here, she even tried sitting up but Hayato immediately pushed her down the futon.

"Sheesh!" The bluenet rubbed his temples in annoyance. "You troublesome girl!"

Instead of reacting like how she usually does, Haruka only giggled. Hayato couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He admitted that this was slightly freaking him out. Even though it might be her fever, it was still weird that she was acting like a child. And what were weirder were those golden eyes. He can't point his finger on it, but it just seemed like it. It felt as if she couldn't _see_ anything.

"Otou-san!" She called again, the bluenet shivered. "Can you please tell Haruka about how the world looks like again?"

"What?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"You know," Haruka shrugged. "About those pretty things called flowers and that wide place called the sky!"

Hayato was about to tell her to stop that crap off and she's scaring the shit out of him when…

_I was born blind._

He blinked. That voice, it sounded like Haruka's. He wondered if he was zoning out again when he saw a vision of himself sitting on a table, inside the rosette's kitchen. She was sitting in front of him, telling him of how she couldn't see a thing when she was young.

No, this wasn't a vision. This was a memory, Tokiya's memory to be precise.

But it wasn't making sense. How was it possible that he was seeing a glimpse of Tokiya's memories? Could it be… they were slowly becoming one person?

"Nee, Otou-san!" Haruka pouted. "Tell Haruka about the world!"

_But I have to tell you, she has a fever so she might say some very weird things. _Masato's words echoed in his mind.

"About the world…?" Hayato repeated nervously, playing along with her. It's not like she'll remember any of this, right? It's because of her fever, that's why she's acting like this. Haruka thought she's now a 7 year old, thinking she's also blind. He thought about anything that he could talk about to a blind girl and then… "How about I tell you about what a school is?"

Her 'blind' eyes widened, small hands tightened around the blankets as she excitedly nodded.

"A school?" She repeated. "Isn't that a place where children like me learn and read those things called a book?"

Hayato nodded when he realized that she couldn't 'see' him. He shook his head and spoke.

"Yes. It's also a place where you can meet a lot of friends and play games with everyone!"

"Friends?" She said the word as if it was new to her. "Otou-san, what are 'friends'?"

"Uh…" The bluenet scratched the side of his face, why was she asking such a hard question? "It's… um, having someone by your side at all times."

"What do you mean by that, Otou-san?"

Hayato furrowed his eyebrows; this was getting harder by the second!

"It's when a person remains by your side through good times and bad times! Look, Haruka. What if I have a delicious food with me, will you play with Otou-san?"

The rosette nodded. "Of course!"

"But what if we ate all the food. Are you still going to play with Otou-san?"

"Of course!" Then she pouted. "Geez, Otou-san! You make it sound as if Haruka wants to play with Otou-san just for the food!"

Hayato laughed. "That was just an example, Haruka. I know you're not that type of person. If you stayed with Otou-san even without any food, you're a real friend! Remember, Haruka. There are times when they seem like a friend, but in truth they aren't. So you better choose your friends wisely."

Haruka nodded. "Otou-san, do you have friends?"

He almost scoffed. "Of course, I do!"

The rosette smiled, looking away. Hayato watched her as she stared at the ceiling, her eyes slowly became moist and he realized a little too late that a tear fell from her eyes.

"Haruka?" He petted her on the head, she was still feverish. Maybe it's time for her to sleep. "What's wrong? Are you feeling bad?"

She slowly shook her head. "I feel fine." But Hayato knew she was lying. "I'm just worried if I'll ever find a friend, that's all."

Blue eyes widened. "Of course you'll do!" He said encouragingly. "Why do you think you won't?"

"Because I'm blind."

Well, _that shut him up._

Haruka looked at him, smiling sadly. Tears kept falling down on her red cheeks, those glass-like eyes looked as if it can see right pass him. Hayato felt his chest tightened, he felt his eyes water. Now that he saw it himself, he finally understood how she felt when she was younger. It made him want to give her a hug, tell her that he's there for her even if she's blind.

Just like the way she told him that she's ready to accept him even if he's imperfect.

"Otou-san." She called, but her voice was now softer. "Do you think I'll be able to see one day?"

"_Yes." _Hayato forced a smile, rubbing his eyes to erase any possible eye fluids that might fall. "You'll see."

"How can you be so sure?"

He blinked. Once again, he was captivated by those golden eyes. Hayato looked at those expressive orbs. Even though she only _thinks _she's 7 years old or something, it means she's currently reflecting what the past Haruka used to be. This showed how lonely she was before. Those eyes that others found creepy, but to him was the most beautiful pair of orbs he has ever seen.

"Because I," Hayato took her hands, giving her a reassuring hold. "_Promise."_

Haruka smiled at him. "Thank you, Otou-san."

He shook his head.

"Otou-san," She yawned, the bluenet thought she looked so adorable. "Haruka's feeling sleepy. Can you tell Haruka a fairytale?"

"Fairytale?" Hayato repeated. "What fairytale? Like Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty—"

"_No_!" She shouted weakly. "Haruka heard those fairytales a bunch of times! Tell me something new!"

"No need to shout!" He said warily. "Okay, I'll… think of something."

Haruka smiled at him, waiting patiently for the 'new' fairytale. Hayato sighed in annoyance, scratching the back of his head. He's not good at storytelling, neither is he good at making stories but either way, he'll try to entertain the brat until she falls asleep. He opened his mouth and started.

"Once upon a time…"

There was a prince.

He was a lonely little prince who was treated like a monster by his father, the king.

Whenever he was doing something bad, the kind would beat him up so that he'll 'learn' from his mistakes. His life was controlled by his father, like he was only a chess piece in the king's chess game. He was also forced to become the perfect king, like his father. So every day, he was forced to study and do things that normal children of his age can't do. If He failed to do it, the king will surely get mad and beat him up once more!

This continued until the prince was about to enter the last stage of education before he's considered as an 'adult'.

One day in the middle of summer, the prince ran away from home to hide from the abusive king. And on that day, he arrived on a castle where you can find millions of books.

The boy wasn't really a reader, well, far from it but it was better than being punched by the king so he entered the place.

The book-field place was awfully quiet. Too quiet for his liking. He found the place incredibly boring and the place smelled like ink and paper.

And he _hated _it.

But starting from that day, he visited the place every day. Don't you think it was funny, even if he hated the place he just can't help but come back day after day?

Why?

Well, because on the second floor of the castle, sitting on a chair near the huge window was a fairy.

She was a beautiful fairy with exotic looks. She looked as if she was the same age as the prince, but the prince didn't try to talk to her the first time they met. The prince was a coward. Because of how the king raised him, the prince became an anti-social person. He refused to talk to people unless he knows them. So even if he wanted to talk to the enchanting being, he could not make himself for he was scared that the fairy might also be a bad person.

The first time the prince saw her, she was reading a thick book. The prince thought it was odd, why a beautiful creature like her would waste her time reading such thing when she could play under the summer heat.

The next day, he also saw her again on the second floor of the palace. She was once again reading a book, but this time it was a different book.

And so the days continued, every day he went to the palace just to see if the fairy was still there, reading her thick books like how she usually does.

The summer was ending; the prince knew that he might never see the fairy again once he becomes busy. So he decided that before this season ends, he managed to ask the fairy why she's always reading a book every single day.

One day…

"Hey." He called impolitely.

The young girl jumped out from her chair, the book she was holding fell loudly on the table. On the first floor, the librarian made a 'sh!' sound. The girl bowed, as if the librarian could see her, and apologized. After that, she slowly stood up. She looked at the male through her longs bangs, golden eyes glittered under the bright sun rays that passed through the window.

"Y-y-y-yes?" She asked softly.

"Why do you always read a different book every single day? Why don't you finish the first one you read before starting a new one?"

The rosette blushed, looking down.

"Oh, but I always finish the book before the day ends so I have to read a new one the next day."

Blue eyes widened, surprised at her answer.

"Why do you read those books every single day? Isn't it boring?"

The rosette chuckled. The boy felt his heart skip a beat, how angelic her voice sounded.

"I don't find books as boring." She explained. "In fact, I love them!"

"You love them?" He repeated.

The girl nodded. "Yup! I love how I learn new things every time I read a new book!" She smiled, looking away. "I'm also studying for the entrance exam I'm going to take so I have to review…"

He raised an eyebrow. "Are your parents forcing you to review?"

Golden eyes widened. She immediately shook her head defensively.

"N-n-no! I'm doing it on my own free will!"

"It's summer." He said dryly. "You're reading _on your own free will _rather than playing with your friends."

He knew he was being nosy, but the rosette seemed very patient with him.

"But the exam is really important." She insisted. "I want to pass that test so that I can follow my father's footsteps! I also want to be _better _than my father! I want to be like my father but I want to make my own future the way _I _want it!"

The prince thought it was amazing. How the fairy wanted to be like her father on her own free will. How she's doing everything she could because she wanted to. Even better, she wanted to make her own future that way she wanted it.

_And the prince fell in love with the fairy that day._

Hayato looked at the rosette, only to see her sleeping ever so soundly. He sighed, leaning closer to the charming girl.

"I remember now." He whispered. "I was the one who first saw you."

The reason why Hayato forgot about her was because he did not know how to 'love'. It was the trait that was supposed to be Tokiya's, not his. So without even knowing it, his memories and feelings got wiped out and instead got transferred to Tokiya. But only the feelings. Hayato's memories were buried under his conscience, the only reason it resurfaced was because of what Haruka told him on the rooftop.

_Hayato, don't bare the pain all to yourself._

Tokiya really wasn't lying when he answered he doesn't know why started dating Haruka. Because Hayato was the only who knew.

"You should've been mine." He said, tucking a lost strand of hair on the back of her ear. "I am the one who truly loves you."

He leaned forward and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.


	17. Chapter 17

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 17

Porridge

Ichinose Hayato pulled out the spare key from his pocket that he borrowed from the landowner, unlocked the door, and slowly pushed it open. He shoved the keys back with much difficulty, carrying a feverish Nanami Haruka with one arm.

He entered the apartment with the rosette in his arms, pushing the door close behind. Hayato laid the petite girl on her bed, covering her with a thick blanket to keep her warm. He immediately set the heater, making sure that the temperature in the room wasn't too much for Haruka's body.

"Haruka," He said soothingly. "Is the temperature alright, nya?"

The rosette nodded. Hayato sighed in relief, and then he followed up another question.

"Are you hungry, nya? Would you like me to cook for you?"

"Silly, Otou-san!" Haruka giggled, her red cheeks turned a deeper shade. "You don't know how to cook!"

Hayato coughed. Well, yes. He _doesn't _know how to cook, but if he needs to he'll try his best and _learn _to cook just to make her feel better. But it already passed through his mind that if she tried to eat his creation, Haruka might end up feeling _more _feverish than before.

"And the woman from the big house fed me a very delicious stew!" She assured, it only made him feel a lot worse. "So Haruka doesn't feel like eating anytime soon!"

"Good…" He said. He knew that by 'woman from the big house', she meant one of the maids from Hijirikawa's mansion. "Wait a minute, Haruka, nya. I'll get you some water and medicine."

The rosette nodded. Slowly, her eyelids grew heavy until she completely closed her eyes, trapped in Morpheus's arms. Hayato bent down and gave her a kiss on the forehead before he started searching her apartment for anything useful.

As he remembered, there was a first aid kid inside the kitchen cupboard. There must be a thermometer inside so he can check on her temperature every now and so often. And most probably, she also stocked her medicine inside it.

He went to the kitchen and indeed, it really was there. He took the thermometer and a tablet of paracetamol in his left hand, while his right hand grabbed a glass and filled it with lukewarm water from the water dispenser.

"Hey, Haruka." He sat on the head of her bed, causing the mattress to creak. "Wake up, drink up this medicine."

Long lashes fluttered open, pale lips pouted.

"But medicine tastes bad."

"But it'll make you feel better, nya." Hayato assured, handing her the glass. "Come on, be a good girl and drink this."

Hesitantly, Haruka rose up from bed. She took the glass from his hand, as well as the tablet. She drank it as quick as possible, making a face after she swallowed it.

"_Bitter_." The rosette stuck her tongue out.

He patted her on the head, helping her lie down on the bed. "That's my girl. Now, let me check your temperature…" He was about to put the thermo under her arms when she pulled away. "What's wrong, did I hurt you?"

Haruka shook her head, shyly she lowered her head.

"It tickles."

Hayato chuckled and measured her temperature anyway. After much struggling, the thermometer stopped beeping.

"38.3 degrees Celsius." Hayato read out loud. "Your temperature has gotten lower."

The rosette didn't reply. He turned the digital thermo off and placed it on the table near them, when he returned his gaze back to Haruka, she was already sleeping.

He smiled tiredly. The bluenet sat on the sofa, taking out his cellphone from his pocket. Even if Haruka said she wasn't hungry, it's better to be safe than be sorry.

Hayato scanned Tokiya's contacts and immediately called the most reliable person for this situation.

"Hey, Hijirikawa, nya." He said in a monotonous voice. "I know I've caused you a lot of trouble since this day started, but can you teach me how to cook porridge?"

.

.

Haruka woke feeling better than she ever had in years.

She looked at her night stand and according to her clock; it was 1 in the morning.

The rosette looked at her surroundings; she couldn't help but smile upon seeing the mess that her boyfriend had created just for her sake. All the shelves and cabinets were wide opened; it looked as if someone raided her apartment. From her bed, she could see the terror in her kitchen. It seemed like there was a war in there, ingredients splattered on the walls as well as the floor. On the sink, she saw all the failed products that he dumped.

On the nightstand, right next to her digital alarm clock, was a bowl of stew. Haruka peeked at it and saw that it was untouched; apparently he was waiting for her to wake up. She smiled, taking the spoon on the nightstand. Thank God, it didn't look like anything explosive or poisonous. It looked like a normal porridge.

But she knew it wasn't just _any _porridge, it was the porridge made by her boyfriend. The man who probably never cooked in his whole life but tried his best to cook for his sick girlfriend.

Haruka took a sip. Golden eyes widened. Even though it was already cold, because she assumed that he cooked this a few hours ago, this porridge tasted… _good!_

Right next to her, something or rather _someone _stirred.

Sleeping on the edge of her bed was Ichinose. His head was resting on her bed, but he made sure to occupy minimal space as much as possible. Haruka was sure that he's going to wake up with a stiff neck the next day.

Haruka rose up, but made sure to do it quietly so that she won't wake him up. She pulled her blanket and put it over his shoulder, and she also took a spare pillow and placed it on his head to make him more comfortable.

Golden eyes stared at the sleeping prince; she couldn't help but be mesmerized. Haruka only realized this now, but Ichinose have long lashes! His skin was white and healthy, his nose was perfectly made, and his lips looked so… _delectable._

Haruka leaned closer, admiring more of his face.

"I love you, Haruka." The bluenet mumbled in his sleep.

Golden eyes softened, a sweet smile crept on her lips. She leaned down, mouthing something before she kissed him on the lips.

.

.

The next day, Haruka woke up alone inside her apartment. It seemed like the bluenet left before the sun could rise. And because she was already feeling fine, the rosette attended school.

And as usual, she found Tokiya was waiting for her outside the gates of Shining Academy. But instead of his usually gentle expression, he looked like he was so stressed he didn't have a blink of sleep last night. And she knew that she was the reason for it.

"I'm sorry—"He began.

But Haruka already knew where this conversation was going. She placed her index finger on his lips, effectively silencing him.

"You don't need to apologize." She said.

"But—"Tokiya protested.

Haruka shook her head. After she was sure that the bluenet already gave up on pushing his apologies even if he didn't do anything wrong, she continued and explained.

"You know, I'm not very experience with love and relationship or anything of that sort." The rosette said. "So I don't really know what the purpose of dates is. But judging from all the stories I read and heard from the people around me, I think it is an activity that serves to make your lover feel that you care for them."

The president raised an eyebrow; he clearly did not understand her point. She chuckled, closing her eyes.

"What I want to say is, what you did for me last night was enough, Ichinose-san. You don't need to bring me to fancy restaurants to dine in or go buy me expensive things at the mall just to show me that you do. Because you already did, after taking care of me even if I knew you've never done such thing before in your life. You showed me how important I am to you. How much you…" She blushed before continuing. "_love _me_. _And after what you did, you made me realize something."

"W-what is it?" He asked.

Haruka smiled.

"That I reciprocate your feelings."

"What do you mean?"

She knew that Tokiya understood her, but he just wanted to hear it directly from her mouth. She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't contain her laughter.

"I love you, too."

To say that Tokiya was the happiest man in the world was an understatement.

The whole day, everyone noticed that the usually serious president was emitting a very happy aura. If it was possible, every time time he walked, flowers grew on the ground where his feet landed. Animals appeared out of nowhere and was following him everywhere he went. And for some reason, Tokiya was skipping around school in _slow motion._ They couldn't help but take a second glance when he passed by.

'_But maybe this was just our imagination._' The students told themselves, shivering in fright upon seeing the happy Tokiya.

"Burn it." Kurusu Syo was close to crying, burying his face on his palms. "Burn it with fire!"

Ittoki Otoya tried his best to make a straight face, but tears just kept on falling.

"You have to stay strong, Syo!" He patted Syo on the back. "Let Tokiya have his moment!"

While Aijima Cecil was already preaching about the end of the world.

Haruka laughed nervously, noting how negative STARISH was in this once in a lifetime situation.

When they were about to go home, and Tokiya exhausted his princess aura (much to everyone's relief), he asked Haruka a peculiar question.

"Nanami-san. You said you don't want me to bring you to a fancy restaurant or buy you expensive gifts, right?"

The rosette raised an eyebrow but nodded anyway. "What about it?"

"But I can still _do _it right?" Tokiya smiled hopefully. "We can have a better date next time, right?"

Haruka deadpanned.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **How are you doing guys? It's me, Threya Midnight!

I tried to make this funny... but if you read among the lines... this is a rather sad chapter.

Lately, I could only update twice a month... sorry about that. But I already want to warn you that by next month, we'll have our exams so I don't think you'll be seeing me anytime soon. And I don't think I'll be able to get into the honors this time... which means I'll be stressed again by my parents to study Asian-style xD Haha. Let's just hope my exams are high enough that I could at least nab 5th place or something.

Oh yes! Futari no Himitsu has reached 100 reviews! Thank you so much guys!


	18. Chapter 18

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 18

About Tomo

Shibuya Tomochika was a very popular girl.

She had the money.

Both her parents are successful and influential businessmen in Japan. Her father had hundreds of hotels and restaurant all over the country, while her mother started a clothing line that never seemed to stop pleasing all the teenagers with their unique fashion and design.

She had the looks.

As mentioned before, she basically owned a clothing company that always starts the new fashion trends in Japan. Let's just say, that the red-haired is always 'in' with the new. And we can possible say that she's the one starting it with her indirect modelling of her mother's designs. And must I state that every weekend, you can find this beauty hanging around the spas and saloons pampering herself to perfection.

She was athletic.

Ever since she started elementary and up until now, no matter what sports club she joined, she always seemed to excel at it no matter what. When she was in elementary, Tomochika joined the women baseball club. When she went to middle school and she realized how 'barbaric' she looked and how 'unfeminine' it seemed, she switched to swimming. By the end of middle school, her hair started to fizz because of the chlorine in the swimming pool so by high school she switched to track and field. Tomo became the track and field's star in no time.

She had a bubbly personality.

She was always cheerful, smiling and laughing like every day was an adventure or something. Boys and girls liked that outgoing personality that she has; before she knew it she already had a large fan base. And that was when she was at her freshmen year in Saotome Academy. She doesn't know how big that club has become after three years.

We all know what popularity can give you: friends.

Gazillion of 'friends' that are only there because it will also make them look 'cool' if they hang out with you. Girls would hang out with her because they only wanted to see her wide collection of clothes and accessories. Boys would ask her out because they'll be 'popular' if they nabbed Miss Popular and only because they wanted to have mind-blowing sex with the school's 'number one slut'.

Tomochika hated them.

Every. Fucking. One. Of. Them.

She lived a pathetic life. A life where she forces out smiles, make friends with the bitches to get into clicks, and make out with boys that aren't even that good at it because they're apparently at the 'must date before I die' list.

But _she _was different.

_Nanami Haruka_ seemed like an alien to her plastic world.

Haruka wasn't like them.

When she smiles, she always _means it. _When she laughs, it was because she found Tomochika's lame puns as _hilarious_. When the athletic red-haired falls down from track and field practice and would get a wound, Haruka would frown and apply first-aid to her, asking her if she's alright because she actually _cares. _When Haruka thinks Tomochika is being rude, she tells her to _stop it, Tomo-chan _and _it's not funny to insult people_.

For once in Tomochika's life, she found a _friend_.

To say that this red-haired beauty was protective of Haruka was an understatement. She treated the rosette as if she was her daughter!

She always visits her apartment and gives her samples of her mother's latest designs, bringing expensive cakes imported from Europe for their snacks. Whenever a guy takes interest on Haruka because of her innocent charms, Tomo-chan would do anything to prevent that bastard to stand on the same ground as her beautiful angel.

So to say that she was shocked that damn _asshole _Ichinose Tokiya suddenly asked Haruka out, was probably the century's greatest understatement.

First of all, they never talked.

Like _Ever._

How was she so sure of it? Well, because Tomochika was guarding Haruka 27/7! There was no possible way that she didn't notice someone trying to get close with her best friend, especially if that 'someone' is one of the school's most handsome students.

Second, she has heard rumors about Ichinose that he's actually gay.

Of course, there's a possibility that they're just trying to ruin his reputation, just like what the studentbody are always doing to hers. But you can't deny the _evidences_, the ever so abundant evidences that really make you think that he _is._

He's always surrounded by boys, STARISH, to be more specific. He's ridiculously close to the other blue-haired in the group, as well as the spikey red-haired guy that was the polar opposite of him. And no one has _ever _seen him talk to a girl on his own accord.

_Never_.

As. In. Never.

So just thinking about the possibility of Ichinose Tokiya using her precious best friend as a cover-up to his sexuality makes her blood boil.

Why was she so angry?

Because it happened to _Tomochika_ before.

When she was at her second year in middle school, when she was still in the swimming team, a senpai 'took interest' on her.

That senpai was a third year in the basketball team. He was the dream of every girl in their middle school, and of course that includes her. She was so happy when that senpai visited her during her practice and asked her out.

He was Tomochika's first love.

Everything was perfect at first, she was happy and he seemed happy. Everyone thought that they suited each other, it also boosted her popularity.

But then shit happened.

One day, Tomo-chan decided to wait for him after his basketball practice, even though he told her not to. But she was hard-headed; she wanted to surprise the living daylights out of him.

But instead _she _was the one that got surprised.

Almost everyone in the basketball team already left, except her boyfriend and his 'friend'.

"Hey, Tsuchiyama-senpai." Young Tomochika called one of her boyfriend's teammate who was leaving the gym. "Where's he?"

"Oh, your boyfriend?" Tsuchiyama-senpai asked nervously. "He's at the court, practicing with-"

She didn't even wait for him to finish. Tomo thanked him and dashed towards the gym, when she opened the door, she found her beloved senpai making out with his so-called best friend.

_Practicing my ass._

She asked Tsuchiyama-senpai if he knew about her boyfriend's preferences and he answered yes. Actually, everyone in the basketball team knew that he was gay because he gave heads to most of them every after practice.

And no bothered to tell her.

Since then, she started dating random guys just to get over him. She didn't even need to find them, love letters always flock her shoe locker so she just randomly picks a guy judging from the letter and the gifts she received. But of course, Tomo-chan only chooses good-looking men. Even though she was in ruins, she still had her standards.

That's when the slut-rumor emerged.

And who started those rumors? Her so-called female friends, who abandoned her after telling them of what she saw back in the gym.

'_You just wanted to ruin him because he dumped you_.'

For two whole years, she lived a life faking everything. Everyone was as good as plastic, so why should she give a fuck about them? They should just be thrown to the trash, because that's how they really were.

Because that's what Tomo-chan was.

Isn't it funny? How that simple incident ruined her humanity? How her world seemed so much darker?

Tomo-chan knew how pitiful she had become during those years. Haruka doesn't deserve to experience the pain and suffering she felt because of it. She doesn't want the light from those golden eyes to disappear. She didn't want the innocent Nanami Haruka to live even just one day of her life like a living corpse.

She deserved better. No, Haruka deserved the _best. _In fact, no one deserves her because she's too fragile.

Only Tomo-chan could love her.

Just her.

… But when she talked to Tokiya and heard his declaration of love from the man himself, she felt guilty for doubting him in the first place.

For the first time in Tomochika's life, she heard someone talk about another person with so much love; it made her envy the person Tokiya was referring to. When she was listening to the bluenet, her whole body was shaking. She was thinking again and again, '_if only senpai was like him'. _

But even with his words, Tomochika couldn't help but still doubt him.

'_It was better to be safe than sorry_,' She thought. '_I wouldn't want my Haruka to be stained because I let my guard down_.'

And before she left, she gave a warning.

And she wasn't lying when she said it. She was 1000% serious. But she knew that Ichinose only took it as a joke.

Oh, but she isn't.

Tomo-chan was ready to kill for Haruka's sake.

If that bastard could even make a single tear fall from her beautiful golden orbs, Tomo-chan would not hesitate. She will make him experience ten-folds of the pain Haruka feels.

She's not joking.

… But it seemed like there was no need for that.

"That I also love you, too_._"

Nanami Haruka smiled sweetly, that kind of smile that would make you think that she resembled an angel. If that smile was directed to her, she would be _so _happy her heart would melt. If those words were directed to her, she would die happily.

But it _wasn't_.

A tear fell from Tomochika's eye; her red-tainted lips were quivering in anguish.

Haruka finally said those magical words; she already has someone else in the scene. She doesn't need anyone like Tomo-chan anymore.

Her existence in unnecessary to her.

.

.

Tomochika found herself dancing in the middle of a club, wearing her sexiest clothes which she often wore to attract guys.

"I'll be fine on my own," She whispered to herself, gyrating her body against the male dancing with her. "I'll find my own boyfriend."

Out of nowhere, she felt someone wrap their arms around her waist. Tomochika smirked, seductively she turned around. Crimson eyes widened upon seeing the person in front of her, but she immediately changed that shock to a smile.

"Well, hello there."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Peek-a-boo! It's Threya again! I updated fast today, well because we just received our exam schedule yesterday and I found out we'll have our exams on Wednesday to _next_ Wednesday. Hurrah for a busy school life!

I just noticed that in most fanfics here, no one gives a flying feathers to Tomo-chan. So here, I present to you _my _version of Tomo-chan. She's still the same as the game/anime Tomo-chan, but I gave her more background and I let you see more of her mind.

I heard somewhere that the more a person smiles, it was because they didn't what to show how lonely they really are. I think Tomo-chan is like that in reality.

And yes, I know it's full of paragraphs with almost no speaking line. But don't worry, the next chapter will be filled and it would be humorous again and no angst! Yay!

Oh, guys. When I reach chapter 20, I'll be on a short hiatus. I'll be rewriting DWHW as well as FnH because I know that I have so many grammar errors lol.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Notes: **Another quick update before I disappear from the face of earth for a while!

* * *

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 19

Seitokai no Prince-sama! Maji LOVE 3000%!

It was another busy day in the student council room.

"Tokiyaaaaaa~!" Ittoki Otoya groaned, spreading his body on the sofa languidly. Because of his tall height, only half of his body was able to rest on the soft cushion. His left arm and leg dangled down on the floor. "This is so tiring; I don't want to help anymore!"

Ichinose Tokiya rolled his eyes; fingers continued typing on his white Apple MacBook.

He was currently typing a proposal to the teachers of what stalls and shops should be allowed at the cultural festival. Last year, Class 2-D had a bikini café. It brought out a lot of customers but it also brought bad reputation to the school.

So this time, he's going to make sure to have rules on their suggestions.

"Please, Otoya." He tried to sound as calm as possible, but everyone in the room knew better. "You're not even helping us. The student council room is a place for efficiently improving the Satome Academy's surroundings, not a place where people like you, as well as Syo—"

"Hey!" Kurusu Syo shouted defensively. "I'm not even saying anything!"

"—Could freely laze around as if you own the place." The bluenet finished.

"But To-ki-yaaaaaaaa!" The red-head pouted. "Just watching you makes me feel tireeeeeed! Let's play outside!"

Tokiya deadpanned.

"_What are you, seven_?!"

Surprisingly, that didn't come from his mouth. It came from the other bluenet that was part of the student council, Hijirikawa Masato.

His face was red as a tomato, an angry red nerve popped on his temple. His whole body was shaking in fury. If this was an anime, he would be on fire right now. And the documents that Tokiya ordered him to print were trapped in his fist, currently crumpled like trash.

'_Hard work turned into waste_.' Tokiya sighed, rubbing his temples. He was going to reprimand him later when he returned to his wits.

As me all know, Masato was the calmest person in the group. He was the person who barely showed his emotion to anyone that is not part of STARISH. But everyone knew the person who can crack that cool composure. It was no other than—

"But I don't wanna type~!"

Jinguuji Ren.

"What do you mean you do not want to type?!" Masato seized the blonde's collar, pulling up from his lying position. The in the room started panicking. "You contended as the _damn _secretary! You should be jubilant that there are inventions called 'laptops' and 'MacBooks' specially made for slothful people like you so you won't have to inscribe using pens and papers!"

If you can still remember, back in Chapter 4, Ren was complaining that he didn't want to write because there were so many papers to write on. For the benefit of the student council, as well as for that blond jerk, Tokiya decided to allow the members to bring their machines (such as laptops and tablets) to make them finish their work faster. But it seemed like it didn't change anything.

"But it might run out of battery…" He reasoned out, drinking a brownish liquid from his juice bottle. Even with its convincing disguise, they knew what its contents really are. "I don't want all my efforts turn into waste—"

Masato shoved a charger on his face.

"But the plug is too far away—"

The bluenet threw the charger on the side. He removed his grip on the blonde's collar; instead he started cracking his fist. Ren immediately shut his mouth up.

"There, there." Aijima Cecil patted Masato on the back. "We must be in friendly terms with each other, am I not correct?"

"Cecil-kun's right, Masayan!" Shinomiya Natsuki trapped the bluenet in a vice-grip, preventing him from doing anything irrational. "No fighting!"

"Please throw that bottle of alcohol away, Jinguuji-san." Otoya said. "You're part of the student council; you should be a role model to the students here."

"Oooooh…" Ren smiled sexily at him, the alcohol must be working on him. The red-haired stared at him, scared of his weird actions. "If such a sexy lady told me to stop drinking, then I will." He leaned closer, winking at him. "Come here, lady. Care to give me a kiss?"

A moment of silence.

Everyone burst out laughing as a chase scene occurred in the small room. Ren was trying to catch Otoya, while the red-haired ran for dear life, crying as he shouted 'help me!'

Tokiya wanted to slam his face on his computer. These guys just don't know how to quietly do their work without bickering. Surprisingly, Masato is always the one starting the fight. But we all know that the root of it all was Ren.

"_Come here, honeeeeeey_~!" The blonde finally caught Otoya, wrapping his arms around his waist, his lips dangerously close to Otoya's face.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The president slammed his MacBook shut, losing his control.

"Jinguuji-san, please stop harassing Otoya. He's still too young; he doesn't find your jokes as funny." There was a short pause before he continued. "And I don't care if you're drunk, remember this. If you tried to bring alcohol in the school grounds, I will order a truck-load of chocolates for you to eat."

Ren immediately let go the red-haired, looking paler than any sheet of paper. Everyone knew that he hated chocolates. No, to say that he hated chocolates were an understatement. He was _traumatized_. It isn't really such a good combination to have your birthday on February 14 as well as Valentine's Day.

But what really scared him was Tokiya. When he says something, he actually does it. He's really planning to deliver a truck-load of chocolates on Jinguuji's mansion and is willing to force feed him if it would mean changing the blond's way of life.

The poor red-haired scurried far away from the drunk blond, hiding behind Natsuki and using him as a shield. Natsuki only chuckled, patting him on the head.

"Now everyone," Tokiya exhaled, calming down his nerves. "Get. Back. To. _Work_."

"_Hai_!" They all shouted in reply.

Just as they were about to return to their seats while the two extras were going to get (or _steal)_ some oranges from the gardening club to make some fresh orange juice, someone knocked on the door.

Everyone had a guess who it was.

And before Tokiya knew it, all of the guys were already doing their work.

"Hello, this is Aijima Cecil from Saotome Academy."

Cecil seemed to be calling someone; it seemed like a few students of Saotome Academy got caught in some trouble with the other schools. As the social affairs officer, he was trying to talk to the president of the other school.

"President, I'm almost finished calculating all the expenses we'll be getting to make the cultural festival successful."

Natsuki was busy with his Piyo-chan calculator, scribbling down some numbers on his record book like a professional accountant or something.

"Hey, Masato. I think you wrote this one incorrectly."

Ren was actually _doing his work_, encoding a document that should have been printed two meetings ago. It seemed like his drunkenness disappeared completely, and he turned into a working man.

"Then change it." Masato was looking over the suggestion box for the cultural fest, writing a note if the suggestion was denied, pending, or accepted. When he liked an idea, he gave the suggestion paper to Tokiya.

"Thank you for waiting!"

While Otoya and Syo were already serving orange juices. How they managed to produce some oranges in a blink of an eye, that he does not know.

Tokiya sighed; he wished that the officers would do their jobs properly in every meeting, not just because his girlfriend was visiting.

"You may come in."

Slowly, the door opened. Everyone almost fell from their chairs when they realized who it was. Or should I say, who _they _were.

"Hello there, our kouhais~!" Kotobuki Reiji saluted, sticking his tongue out.

Kurosaki Ranmaru pushed Reiji away, so that he wouldn't block the door. The cheerful idiot landed on the floor with a soft '_oomf'. _The brunet wrinkled his nose, standing up as he patted the dirt off his clothes.

"That was mean, Ran-Ran!" He shouted.

But as usual, the silver-haired guy completely ignored him ("_Ran-ran!")_ and distastefully scanned at the student council room, clearly not pleased to return to this place again.

"Kurosaki." Camus, just _Camus_, the foreign senpai who doesn't have a last name, called the Ranmaru with a reprimanding voice. "If someone talks to you, have the manners to reply to them."

"I don't give a fuck about what you think, you asshole!" Ranmaru turned, angrily gritting his teeth.

"Guys, don't fight." Reiji immediately worked his magic as the referee for the two men, preventing them from fighting. "We haven't seen each other for a while; let's try to keep our reunion fun, 'kay?"

"According to my calculation," Mikaze Ai pushed his way in, immediately looking for his 'favorite' kouhai. "It has been half a year since I last saw you, Kurusu Syo. But it seems," He 'measured' the blonde's hair with his hand. "You have not grown since."

"It's just _you guys."_ Syo dryly noted, slapping Ai's hand away. "And stop talking like that, Ai-senpai. You sound like a creep."

"EEEEEEEHHHH?!" Reiji made the puppy-dog eyes. "Why don't you sound so happy to see us? Don't you miss-"

"_No_." STARISH said in unison. And with that, they all returned to their previous work: lazing around.

The brunet dramatically fell down on the floor, faking a sob. "Why are all of you so mean?!"

"Please stop your pathetic sobbing, Kotobuki-senpai." Tokiya rubbed his temples in annoyance. "Please just tell us what's with your impromptu visitation today."

"Even Toki-Toki became so cooooold!" He cried louder, earning him a punch on the head by Ranmaru and Camus, yours truly. "But to answer your question," He rubbed his sore head. "I heard that you're going to perform on the cultural festival. And as a former member of the student council of Saotome Academy," He rose up from the ground, pounding his chest proudly. "I hereby declare that we, QUARTET NIGHT, should also join!"

A moment of awkward silence.

"OOOOUCH!"

You can guess that was Reiji shouting in pain after he got hit again by Ranmaru and Camus.

"I refuse." Camus declared, crossing his arms.

"I would rather die than be dubbed as 'QUARTET NIGHT' again." Ranmaru rolled his eyes.

Just like STARISH, QUARTET NIGHT also had a fan name created by the student body. It also wasn't a cool name; in fact it also didn't make any sense just like theirs.

"According to my calculations, this is a waste of time." Ai headed towards the door. "I will be taking my leave."

The brunet quickly grabbed the cyan-haired's hand, stopping him from exiting the room.

"Oh come on, guys!" He whined. "Don't be such a kill joy! This will be fun, I promise!"

"_No_." The three said in unison.

"_EVERYOOOOOOOONEEEEE!"_

"Excuse me, Kotobuki-senpai." Tokiya coughed awkwardly. "But where did you hear such rumors? We still haven't planned what to do with the cultural fest actually. I don't think we'll be dancing and singing anytime soon…"

"What?!" He then glared at Cecil who was still talking with someone on the phone. "Ceshi! You tricked me!"

Cecil blinked, as if the person he was talking to said something really weird. He set the phone down, before turning to Tokiya.

"Ichinose-san," He called softly. "Someone wishes to talk to you."

The bluenet blinked, giving his hand. "Give it to me."

The Agnapolian shook his head. "The speaker wishes to set the phone on loud-speaker for everyone to hear it."

He raised an eyebrow but nodded anyway. "Let me hear it then."

Cecil nodded back and pressed the 'loudspeaker' icon on his phone.

"Why is everyone ignoring me?!" Reiji cried pitifully. Natsuki, the only kind one in the group gave him a pat on the back.

After a moment of silence, the person on the phone decided to speak.

"Good afternoon to you, Ichinose Tokiya and as well as the other members of the Saotome Academy student council." The person greeted in an arrogant voice.

"Introduce yourself." Tokiya immediately disliked this person.

"I am Ootori Eiichi, the student council president of Raging Academy. I think you know about what happened about last week, how one of your students got into a fight with ours."

"Of course I know about it." He said impatiently. "Tell me your point."

"Ah," From the phone, they knew that his 'Ootori' guy smirked. "Such an impatient man, you are Ichinose Tokiya. But don't worry, I'll be going there. I know you and your school do not want this issue to be released to the press, for it will ruin your crystal clear reputation. But don't worry, we won't."

"I assume you want something in return." The bluenet said. It was more of a statement rather than a question.

"You're quick on catching up, that's good." He chuckled. "You are correct, Ichinose. I, no, _Raging Academy_ wants something in return for this favor. I want our schools, Saotome Academy versus Raging Academy, to have a competition."

"Competition?" Tokiya repeated.

"Yes, a competition." He said. "I heard over the phone that you are planning to perform on your cultural festival. And coincidentally, ourschool is _also _planning to have one. So here's the deal, we will be selling concert ticket for the performance. The school that gets more ticket sales win, and the one with fewer sales loses. Easy to understand, right?"

"Wait a minute," The president's eyebrows furrowed, crossing his arms in disbelief. "Why are you suggesting this all of a sudden? What would you get by doing this?"

"Hmm…" There was a short silence. "Indeed. What _will _I get?" He started laughing maniacally; all of the guys in the room were tempted to end the call to get this over with. "Maybe… the fame and glory? Maybe, the people of Tokyo will realize how much a better school Raging is rather than Saotome? Maybe, the ecstatic feeling or _crushing _your pride and _humiliating_ you? Ah, I don't know myself."

"You're a sadist." Tokiya said dryly.

"Ah. Thank you for the compliment." He chuckled. "I do believe that in an alternate dimension, I'm actually a sadistic red-haired vampire with parental issues with two brother and 3 half-brothers."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Ranmaru couldn't help but blurt out.

"Hm… I assume that wasn't you Ichinose. Either way, please ignore what I just said."

"And what would I get if we win?" The bluenet asked.

Eiichi laughed again, that kind of laugh adults do whenever a child asked something stupid. Tokiya was really tempted to end the call; this was getting unbearably by the second.

"Isn't it obvious? I wouldn't be spreading a rumor that the students of Saotome Academy are delinquents who get into fights with other school."

Tokiya raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think that's a… small prize for all the efforts will be pouring for that concert?"

"_Small?" _He repeated mockingly. "Ichinose Tokiya, do you have any idea who was, or should I say, _those_ troublemakers were?"

The bluenet blinked. Indeed, he didn't know who it was and what that person did to the student of Raging Academy. He looked at the members of the student council, only for all of them to look away nervously.

"Judging from the moment of silence, you didn't know, do you?" He said. "Well then, it's no other than your _twin _brother as well as the twin brother of the other member of the student council."

"My twin brother?" Tokiya repeated.

He doesn't have a twin brother. And the other member of STARISH that has a twin brother was Syo, but he's not part of the student council!

The bluenet glared at Syo accusingly. Blue eyes widened, he shook his head defensively and shaped his arms into an 'X'.

'It isn't me, I promise!' Syo mouthed.

Tokiya returned his gaze back at the phone, unconvinced.

"I don't have a brother, much less a twin brother. And none of the student council members have any twin brothers. You might have gotten a mistake for the identity of the troublemaker."

"My, my." He made a pitying tone. "Don't tell me you disowned your brother because he's a delinquent. Or maybe your _father _disowned him because he doesn't want a menace for a son?"

"What—"Before Tokiya could even say anything, Eiichi continued.

"They are Ichinose _Hayato_ and Shinomiya _Satsuki_, the famed mischief duo of Saotome Academy. I know you them, you can't lie about it. Now, I have a lot of matters to attend. I'll be waiting to crush you on the cultural festival. Goodbye, Ichinose Tokiya."

And he hung up.

Tokiya was dumbfounded. He looked at the members of the council, speechless and shocked. It took a moment before he could finally make a coherent sentence.

"What did Hayato do this time?"

The room was silent. It took a while before someone decided to speak, and it was Cecil.

"I heard that Hayato-san and Satsuki-san were drunk when they charged the Raging Academy school grounds and started attacking any student they could find."

A moment of silence.

"At least we have a concert…!" Reiji beamed.

"_You're not helping_." They all said in unison.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Camus's CD was released recently. And we all know what that means :D


	20. Chapter 20

Futari no himitsu

Chapter 20:

Not Responding

It was already six in the evening, Nanami Haruka wondered what her boyfriend longer than usual.

_Ah…_ She inhaled silently, roaming around the campus of Saotome Academy in order to pass some time. _It must be because of _that _issue…_

Last of week, there was a rumor circulating around the school that a pair of drunk male students from Saotome Academy trespassed Raging Academy and allegedly assaulted some students for 'shit and giggles'.

Haruka asked Ichinose Tokiya if it was true, and he answered that there was a possibility that it was but they might have exaggerated the story.

'Think of it Nanami-san,' He said, using his hands for emphasis. 'I don't think it's possible for two drunk students to, I quote from our fellow Saotomeans, 'beat the crap out' of a high-standard school's security guards and injured at least 300 students while leaving 13 in a state of coma.'

Now that Tokiya mentioned it, it really _did_ seem overstated.

'But I do admit it might affect the cultural festival,' Tokiya rubbed his chin, thinking. 'Many people would think twice before entering the school, thus lowering the amount of visitors for this year. But don't worry,' He smiled at Haruka and ruffled her hair, the rosette pouted in return. 'As the president of the student council, I declare this to be a trivial matter. We will do everything in our power to extinguish this on-going rumor and we will continue our lives as if nothing happened.'

But judging from the length of today's meeting, it doesn't seem to be so 'trivial' as he claimed it to be.

The rosette continued walking, only to stop when she realized that she accidentally ventured an area in the school where she has not yet visited before.

Haruka looked around, biting her lips nervously.

"Where am I…?"

You might think it's funny, who she's been studying at this school for almost 3 years and yet she still got lost.

Haruka can only give you one explanation:

She's horrible at memorizing directions.

There was a high possibility that she already visited this place before, but she might have forgotten about due to the minimal times she went here. Saotome Academy was one of the biggest schools in Tokyo; you really can't blame her if she told you that during her freshmen year, she accidentally found herself trapped in the janitor's closet.

_Twice._

But this wasn't her freshman year. She was a senior. There was no excuse for any sane person to get lost on their own school for the _nth _time.

Hence, she was _this _bad at directions.

Haruka sweat dropped; looking at any informative detail about the hallway she's in to find a clue at her current location.

Sadly, no matter what she does, _every _hallway in this academy looks identical.

The rosette was in a verge of a panic attack when this realization struck her when she noticed something about the walls.

The walls were thick, as if to prevent any sound from escaping. Just from this simple detail, she had a clue where this was. But just to make sure that her guess was correct; Haruka peeked on the translucent glass on the nearest door.

Golden eyes widened when she saw the insides of the room. It was an elegant room posters of musicians from the renaissance era were plastered on the wall. There were minimal designs inside the room, except the mentioned poster and bookshelves that had dozens of books that were obviously collections of musical scores, judging from its titles. In the middle of the room stood a handsome instrument, a black grand piano.

Haruka found herself pushing the door open, heading straight towards the piano bench. She elegantly pulled the seat, sitting on the soft cushions while her right hand pulled the lid up, revealing the well-cared for piano keys that seemed to be smiling at her, inviting her to play them to her heart's content.

Play them to her heart's content she was about to do when she realized where she was.

Haruka was inside one of the music department's soundproof rooms, especially created for musically inclined students.

She was sure that a while ago, she was standing in front of the student council room, which can be found in the main building. As she remembered, the music department can be found four buildings away from the main…

Wait a minute, _how did she even get here_?!

The rosette fished out her phone from the pocket of her skirt and looked at the time.

_18:10, _it said.

'_Ichinose-san must be waiting for me…' _The reasonable side of Haruka told her, but her music-loving self was begging her to continue.

Sadly, her other self was very manipulative and convinced Haruka to play. Silently, the rosette apologized to her boyfriend as she started playing a song that she composed a few years ago.

"Mayoi konda RABIRINSU…"

.

.

Thankfully, the four seniors decidedly to take their leave.

STARISH immediately went on to business.

"What are we going to do on performance?" Hijirikawa Masato calmly asked.

"Sing a song, of course." Jinguuji Ren rolled his eyes. The blue-haired male completely ignored him and proceeded to ask.

"Are we going to make a cover of a song or are we going to compose our own?"

"Composing a song would be such a hassle!" Kurusu Syo yawned, stretching his arms just like a cat who woke up from his nap.

"So covering a song it is." Ichinose Tokiya nodded.

"But don't you think it would be more original if we compose a song!" Ittoki Otoya said, unusually excited about the upcoming performance. "Oh, are we going to perform as a band or an…" He bit his lips, a tint of pink painted his cheeks.

"I think it would suit the name of our group if we performed as an idol group!" Shinomiya Natsuki beamed cheerfully, this only made the group even more depressed.

Seriously, who came up with the name STARISH? What _kind _of name is STARISH, anyway? At least make up a cool name for them like, they don't know… _Storm _or something like that.

"Like the one HAYATO tried to do?" Otoya suggested with a smile, trying to light up the mood. A book immediately greeted his face.

"Please do not remind me that event." Tokiya coughed awkwardly, turning red like a tomato. "Speaking of HAYATO, why didn't anyone told me about this? And who came up with the name mischief duo for Hayato and Satsuki? And since when did Hayato and Satsuki become friends?"

Ren wrapped his left arm around the bluenet's shoulder, chuckling.

"You don't know _a lot _of things about your other self."

Tokiya didn't even protest at that accusation because he knew it was true.

It was funny how he knew the name of Natsuki's 'twin' before he knew the name of his. It was even funnier how in their group, there were two people with dual-personality disorders.

He shook his head and continued the meeting, pushing Ren away.

"I do agree with Otoya's suggestion that it would be more original to compose our own song, and I think Shinomiya-san is correct when he said our group name is more suited for an idol group…"

"So you think it's better if we perform as an idol group and make our own song?" Syo raised an eyebrow.

Tokiya hesitated but nodded.

"Though I have something against dancing. I really don't know how to…"

That's when the serious aura became a laughing fest once more. Even the serious Masato couldn't even help but crack up.

"… the hell are you talking about, Ichinose?!" Syo laughed, rolling on the floor. "You _know _how to twist those damn hips when you were—"

Tokiya pushed his chair aside, took a pile of bond paper from the printer, rolled it into a cylinder-like shape, and shoved it on Syo's mouth. Everyone stopped laughing and they had to pull the bluenet away to stop him from forcing that make-shift pipe through the poor blonde's throat.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Tokiya said with a blank expression, returning to his seat. On the background, you can still hear Syo coughing some pieces of paper that got stuck on his mouth.

They all shook their heads.

"Well that settles it." The president rested his back on the chair, you might have expected him to put his feet on the table like any 'boss' would. But he was too elegant to do such a thing (but had the guts to shove rolled pieces of paper on someone's throat). "The problem lies on when we are going to write the song…"

"… I really do think it's not a great idea to compose a song." Natsuki frowned, giving a glass of water to the poor Syo-kun. "Even though all of us know how to play an instrument… we're too busy to do such things right now…"

It was true. Every member of STARISH is capable of playing a musical instrument. Natsuki is good at playing at the viola and he used to play the violin. Syo plays the violin and joined the nationals when he was younger. Ren plays the saxophone, which seemed suitable for his image. Masato plays the piano and many classical Japanese instruments because he was forced to learn when he was young. Cecil plays the flute. Otoya plays the electric and acoustic guitar. While Tokiya can play _any _instrument but his greatest strength in music is singing.

"Maybe we could ask help someone from the school to make a song for us?" Masato said.

"The school band?" Otoya suggested.

Tokiya looked down, thinking for a few seconds. He finally looked up, shaking his head.

"It would be better to keep it a secret from the whole student body, don't you think?" He smiled.

They all nodded.

"The surprise factor _is _important."

"How about let's request from someone we can trust to not spill our secret?" Ren said. "I don't know, maybe… Little lamb?"

It took them a moment before they realized who this 'lamb' is.

"Nanami-san?" Masato raised an eyebrow. He then turned towards Tokiya who looked equally puzzled. "Does Nanami-san know how to compose? Or better yet to ask, does she even know how to play any instruments?"

"I…" Tokiya looked away, unable to answer.

He… _doesn't really know_.

In fact, he still doesn't know _many things_ about her.

Before anyone could notice his strange pause, he was saved by Aijima Cecil shouting loudly for everyone to hear.

"I sense the Muse in the campus!"

All eyes went to the crazy brunet. Finally, after a long silence he decided to speak and this is what he says.

"Cecil-kun," Otoya laughed warily. "I know you're… still looking for the Muse but this is not the time for that."

When they were in middle school and Cecil just transferred to Japan, everyone was freaked out whenever the Arabian prince would declare out of nowhere about finding the muse or 'the muse's presence is weak' or something creepy like that. They all thought he must be missing his home country and was worshiping their goddess, so they just let it slide.

But this was the first time they heard the half-Agnapolian such statement, actually he said something similar when he was referring to a special rosette.

"No, I'm serious!" He said those words with his foreign accent, emphasizing each last syllable. It sounded like this: _Chi-ga-uuuuu, wa-ta-shiiii waaaaa ho-nnnn-kiii de-suuuuuu!_

Each of them gave him a worried look. Seeing that no one was taking him seriously, he ran out from the room shouting that he will look for her. Everyone stood up from the chair, worried that the youngest member of the group would find himself in a dangerous situation.

They all look at one another, as if asking 'shall we follow him?'. Tokiya sighed, rubbing his temples.

"You know the answer to that question."

They all grinned and followed the prince down the hallway.

.

.

To everyone's surprise, they found themselves standing in front of a music room. To be exact, they were in the Music Building, which most music students visit every day. Since they have nothing to do in this place, they never tried to set foot on its boundaries. Until now.

"It's…" Emerald eyes widened, voice was trembling in admiration. "Beautiful."

Everyone looked at one another, wondering what the heck Cecil was talking about. Obviously, it couldn't be the wooden door, right?

"What's beautiful?" Syo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The song…" He answered, his voice still showed how captivated he was.

They all blinked.

"The walls are soundproof." Ren said. "How can you hear anything?"

"The muse is singing…!" Cecil looked excited, completely ignoring the blonde's question. With that, he opened the door and everyone was greeted by an angelic voice.

.

.

_Nee__kamisama oshiete kudasai_

_setsunakute__setsunakute__demo ureshiin desu_

_gyutto__mune o shimetsukeru_

_aa__kono omoi no kotae_

_tabun__zutto__kodomo no mama _

_otona ni naritakunai_

_maigo no KOKORO_

Once the last note was played, Haruka sighed softly.

'_Ah, when was the last time I played a musical instrument?' _

Surely, it has been a long time. But her fingers still knew how to play it as if she made the song just yesterday.

Haruka literally jumped off her chair when she heard a loud noise behind her. To be precise, it was a sound of hands clapping. She spun around, only to see the one and only STARISH looking at her in amazement.

'_How did you get here_?' She wanted to say but before the first word could even come out from her mouth, she was interrupted by a sudden proposal.

"Please compose for us." Tokiya took a step forward and bowed. Behind him, the other members of STARISH did the same.

"_Please compose for us_!" They said in unison.

The rosette gasped, unable to react on the situation.

"What is going on?" Haruka asked.

Finally, all of them stood straight. Instead of Tokiya, Otoya was the one who answered.

"For the cultural festival, we have decided to perform as an idol group." Golden eyes widened, she then turned to Cecil and gave him a thumbs up, happy that his idea was accepted. "But we wanted to surprise the student body so we thought of singing an original song."

"And that's why we are here, Little Lamb," Ren smiled, releasing his seductive hormones but was stopped by Syo hitting him on the stomach. "Asking you a favor—"He coughed, trying to recover from the blow. "—to be our composer."

"B-b-but I don't know how to compose!" Haruka protested. "Why would you choose me out of the blue?"

"Because of that song." Cecil whispered.

All eyes turned to the Arabian prince.

"I have never heard that song being played outdoors by any radio station. And this song… could probably summarize your personality. The essence of the song is so _you._ It is easy to deduct that the song you played was an original."

Even though Cecil's second and third explanation was rather _unique_ and a little bit hard to understand, they all nodded in agreement.

"So Nanami-san," Tokiya took her hand, giving it a soft hold. "Please be our composer."

Haruka blinked multiple times. She opened her lips, but no words came. She closed her lips and opened it again. The process continued, making her look like a fish. After a few seconds, everyone noticed that her eyes were _swirling _and her face was red in embarrassment.

"Nanami-san," The bluenet shook her body. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

The rosette didn't even hear him talk; her mind was racing with various thoughts. Seeing that his girlfriend was in a state of confusion, Tokiya told the other members of STARISH to go home and that he'll handle the explanation.

Though reluctantly, the other boys left.

Now that they're alone, Tokiya made her seat on the piano bench to let her cool off her mind. After a few minutes, the rosette finally calmed down.

"You know, you're like a computer." Tokiya said out of nowhere.

Haruka stared at him, unable to comprehend what he just said.

"Um… why?" She laughed awkwardly.

Tokiya looked at her with a blank expression, trying to scare her or something. Honestly, it was working but Haruka won't say anything of course. After a few seconds, he smiled.

"Because you were 'not responding' a few minutes ago!"

A moment of silence.

"Was that supposed to be a joke?"

"Yes, yes it was."

Another moment of silence.

"That was probably one of the stupidest jokes I have ever heard."

* * *

**Author's Notes**:

Song title: Maigo no KOKORO by Nanami Haruka (Sawashiro Miyuki) There's a piano and singing cover at youtube. It's REALLY beautiful. Go check it out.

Hello guys! It's me again! Exam week is finally over and I am free~ Yay. I am so happy. Lately, I've been having attacks from my sickness. Maaan I don't think I'll be able to on the top this grading. Haha. So random. Sorry if I haven't been replying to PMs lately. I'm just so... tired. I don't know. Hiatus will start from now on. Don't worry I'm just going to edit my grammar and I know it won't take long.

When i come back, I assure you I'll be bringing you some Toki-Haru alone times. I know you're waiting for it :)


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: **Okay, fine. I admit that I am a rather lazy person and I was busy the whole two weeks. I have yet to edit a single chapter of FnH, much less DWHW. Goodness, the latter's chapters are far verbose than the other one I'm afraid it might take forever for me to finish it! As I promised, I present to you a fluffy Toki/Haru chapter! And must I state that this is one of the longest- if not _THE_\- longest chapter of this story. Haha, I feel accomplished! Without any further ado, let's get on with this chapter!

* * *

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 21

Our Secret

"…So," Ichinose Tokiya finally spoke, breaking the awkwardly long silence. "I did not know you can play the piano, much less play it like a professional."

"You do not know much about me," Nanami Haruka said in a rather blunt tone, completely oblivious to the cold words she just replied. But upon seeing the wounded look on Tokiya's face, she laughed awkwardly and added. "Just like how I don't know much about you!"

Surprisingly, or should I say surprisingly _not_, this only made the bluenet's mood even sourer. She sweat dropped.

The two are inside the music room; both of them are sitting on the piano bench in silence. The other members of STARISH left them alone so Tokiya could explain the situation to her, but it seemed that Tokiya was tongue-tied for no good reason.

Haruka was feeling distressed. This has not happened since the first few months they started dating! It was still awkward during that time and she did not feel any attachment to the man, so she did not feel like talking. While Tokiya, the kind and understanding gentleman he was, also kept quiet in order to not scare the girl.

But now, it felt weird that both of them were silent. Was it because of his lame attempt to make a joke and the rosette harshly shot him down?

She immediately felt a pang of guilt in her chest and decided to apologize.

"Um… I'm sorry if I didn't find your joke as funny." She scratched the back of her neck, timidly looking away. "I know that I might have sounded a bit too cruel with my response… So please, stop acting so dejected."

Tokiya, who was looking down at the floor in sheer embarrassment, finally looked up and had a surprised expression on his face. Haruka blinked; equally startled at the look he was giving her.

After a lengthy staring contest, the usually silent man was roaring in laughter. The rosette looked at him in utter confusion, unable to comprehend what was going on.

"Why would you think of such thing?" Tokiya barely slipped those words out of his mouth for he was still busy laughing. "Do you think that I am such a ridiculously low person that I would feel miserable with such a pathetic reason?"

"B-but I—!" Haruka turned as red as a tomato. Was it from embarrassment or anger, that I do not know. Seeing that the blue-haired president wouldn't stop laughing and looked as if anytime soon he would fall down on the floor in his fit of hilarity, she crossed her arm and pouted.

"Well, I'm sorry for worrying about you!"

Finally he stopped.

To say that she was impressed that he can make a straight face after laughing like an idiot in a split of a second, was an understatement.

"Oh, Nanami-san." He whispered in a genuinely concerned voice. "Are you angry? It was not my intention to make fun of you."

Haruka was taken aback; her arms fell quietly on her sides. "I'm not angry." She confessed.

"You aren't?" He asked, sounding like a guilty child. She couldn't help but laugh at the cuteness.

"I'm not." She smiled and patted him on the head.

Dark blue eyes widened, he placed his hand on his chest and sighed in relief. "I'm glad."

Haruka chuckled, thinking how it was nice to know that only she could see this side of him when a sudden question popped inside her mind.

"Ichinose-san?" Tokiya '_hm_?'-ed at her so she took this as her cue to continue. "Why are you so silent today? The atmosphere around us felt somehow… awkward, and this hasn't happened in a long time."

He blinked; there was something in his expression that she couldn't describe.

"_Ahaha_," Tokiya laughed awkwardly. "I did not think that you would notice."

"Well, you thought of me wrong." She feigned a hurt expression. "I think I know you long enough to know if there was something vexing you!"

After she finished her sentence, he looked glum.

"Is there anything wrong?" Haruka wondered if there was something that she said that made him upset.

After a long pause, he sighed.

"_This_ feels wrong."

She raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Once again, he sighed. Slowly, he rose up from the piano bench and walked away from her. Haruka thought that he was leaving the room when she realized that he only stood up because sitting on the bench for a long time was making him uncomfortable.

At last, he spoke.

"Remember when we were at your apartment?"

Haruka made a gesture, as if saying '_what about it_?'

"I promised you that we would get to know each other, but it felt as if nothing happened."

She wanted to protest, 'no, something _did _happen' but for some reason now that he mentioned it…

It seemed as if they only made little to _no _progress at all.

"Wait a minute," The rosette furrowed her eyebrows. "Why are you bringing this up out of nowhere?"

With that, he sighed again. He looked away, biting his lips bitterly.

"Was it connected to the reason why you wanted me to compose for STARISH?" Haruka asked worriedly.

"I don't know if it's connected… but it's the reason why I remembered it." There was a short pause before he continued. "After we decided to perform as a group, they suggested that we use an original song. We were having trouble on whose going to compose for us when Jinguuji-san suggested _you _to do it. I was shocked that he would suggest that out of nowhere. He, who does not know much about you, would recommend us to have you as our group composer.

"And then Masato asked me if you knew how to compose or play and instrument. I realized that I was stupid to think that way when I'm actually no better than them: I barely know anything about you. What made me feel even worse is that it was not I who found you playing the piano; it was no other than Cecil using his _muse-dar_, as what we would call it. I thought it was ridiculous that my friends, who aren't that close to you, seemed to know you _better_ than I do."

"Maybe he just remembered my name out of nowhere and suggested me?" Haruka guessed, referring to Ren.

Tokiya balled his hands to a fist. "_Maybe_," He said. "But Cecil knew. He _knew _it from the start, as he told us before that the 'Muse' was with you, while _I_ did not."

Haruka didn't know anything about Cecil and his _Muse-business_ but decided to question the topic later on. What was more important was to bring the bluenet back to his wits. Seeing the bluenet act this way made her feel annoyed, but what made her even more irritated was that _she _was the reason why.

"So what are you brooding about?"

He blinked. "That I don't know much about you—"

"So?" The rosette placed her hand on her hips, raising an eyebrow.

Tokiya furrowed his eyebrows, slightly offended at her tone and how she was referring to the topic too lightly.

"What's with that reply? Weren't _you _the one who said before that you didn't know anything so you couldn't love me?" He said in choler.

"I said that '_before'," _She emphasized the last word, but it only aggravated him even more. "Have you forgotten what I told _you_ before," Tokiya opened his mouth to argue but she immediately continued, but in a much softer and gentler voice. "that I love you."

He fell silent, shocked at the words coming out from her mouth. Haruka sighed before standing up and walking towards him. She now stood up in front of him, slowly raising her hand. Tokiya immediately flinched, it was an automatic reaction after all the encounters he had from his father. She frowned, cupping his cheeks. Blue eyes widened in surprise, he opened his mouth but no words seemed to be enough to express his reaction. Haruka smiled sadly.

"I love you," She repeated, making her blush but she still continued. "Even if I don't know much about you. Didn't you tell me, that you want me to slowly fall in love with you as I learn different things about you? Isn't that enough for us to be happy, Ichinose-san? Isn't it enough?"

"But…" He wanted to protest, but his mind was swimming with different thoughts he does not know what to say.

"I don't need to know _everything _about you, nor do you need to know everything about _me_." She smiled, closing her eyes. "Don't you think it's better this way? That we're keeping secrets from each other and we're only saying it once we're ready? I don't want to push you to tell me everything, I will wait for you the same way you were patiently waiting for me when I still wouldn't talk to you."

Tokiya stared at her beautiful calm face, completely dumbfounded. He remembered those days, when she was still shy at his presence. He remembered all the silent walks they had as they went to their classroom. Sometimes it felt awkward, how deafening the silence was, but he did not persuade her to talk. If she didn't want to, then be it. He didn't want to force a conversation out of her. It made him feel all tingly thinking about it.

"But doesn't it feel weird" Tokiya asked, still not giving up. "that you're dating someone you barely even know?"

There was a short silence. Then Haruka smiled cheekily at him, she finally let her hands down.

"Think of it as this way; imagine that I am the heroine from a story. Of course, you want to know about me and what's going to happen. But don't you think it it ruins the whole point of reading when you just skip at the climax of the story or maybe the last page just to spoil yourself of what happened to me? Don't you think it's thrilling to read every page of the book, devouring it with your eyes word for word as you learn even the most trivial things about me like what my favorite food is or what do I like to do in my spare time?"

"Knowing your favorite food and your hobbies isn't 'trivial' to me." Tokiya pouted.

She chuckled. "But you get my point, right?"

Slowly, he nodded. "As Professor Oak used to tell me, 'there's a time and place for everything, but not now.'"

Haruka looked at him in disbelief.

"Is it me or are you quoting Pokémon?"

Tokiya smirked.

"I did not expect the great Ichinose Tokiya to play such a game." The rosette looked at him, incredibly impressed.

"My, Nanami-san, one does not have any childhood when he or she hasn't played this work of art."

And their conversation suddenly went to how they used to play the classic game and which digital monster they liked the most. A few more minutes of chattering, Tokiya stopped and just stared at her with a smile on his lips.

"… Do I have something on my face?" She asked, wiping an imaginary dirt off her face.

The blunet laughed and shook his head.

"Say it again."

"Say what?" She asked.

"'I love you."

Haruka turned as red as her hair.

"W-w-w-where did that request came from?"

He leaned closer, enough for her to feel his warm breath.

"Please?" He said in such a cute voice Haruka couldn't help but fall for his demand.

Reluctantly, she whispered.

"I love you."

Tokiya inhaled deeply before exhaling, internalizing her words so that it would never disappear from his mind.

"Again."

Golden eyes widened, "W-w-what?"

"Say it again."

Haruka pouted her lips, looking away as she muttered words under her breath. The bluenet smiled, placing his hand under her chin and forcing her to look at him. The rosette squeaked.

"Again." He repeated.

With a sigh, she did so.

"I love you."

"Again."

"I love you."

"Again."

"I love you."

"_Again."_

"I…"

Tears started falling from her eyes due to severe embarrassment; her face was so red she looked as if she had a fever. She started sobbing; this was too much for her. You might call her pathetic, she didn't care. But don't you think it's harder to say words when you actually _mean _them and sometimes, it seemed like those words aren't even _enough _to express how you really feel?

"_Please, _Nanami-san." Tokiya whispered. "Just one last time."

More tears fell from her eyes. Trying to forget her embarrassment, she closed her eyes and spoke with a much louder voice.

"_Ichinose Tokiya! _I love you so much to the point that just the mere thought of you makes my heart pound to the point it feels as if it's going to explode. Every time you're not with me, I wonder what you're doing and if you're doing fine. Whenever I see you smile, I can't help but smile back. But whenever I see you smile but it was directed for another girl, I feel this weird feeling in my chest as if I don't want you to do that again. Whenever you're around me, everything seems so much better. I feel so happy when I'm with you! Ichinose-san, I love you so much its hurts that I want to cry! I love you… I love you… _I love you-!"_

Eyes snapped open when Haruka felt soft lips against hers. Soon, she felt his tongue licking her lips. She immediately melted and felt her eyelids closing. She opened her mouth and the tongue war soon began. It lasted for three minutes when she felt light-headed and felt her knees buckled. Tokiya immediately noticed this so he placed his hand on her arms, pushing her gently until she fell on the piano keys, hand supporting her fall. A loud broken noise echoed across the room, but he couldn't give a damn as he continued.

Alas, this was all too much for her. She pushed him away and started heavily gasping for air.

"Ichinose-san," She coughed, wiping her lips. "I have noticed that even when we move, you still don't stop."

"Of course," He smirked seductively, making the rosette turn away. "Nothing so trivial can stop me from making you feel good. Which also means, when we do it for the first time, I won't stop pleasuring you until you co—"

Haruka shoved her hand on his face. "Okay, too many details. Stop."

Tokiya chuckled, finding it amusing whenever she blushes when he teases her.

"I find it endearing that you can say such a beautiful speech yet you could barely say the world 'I love you' unless I goad you to."

The rosette blushed, crossing her arms.

"It can't be helped." Was her only answer, finding it too embarrassing to explain. This only seemed to entertain the man even further.

She shook her head, trying to think of a way to change the topic. Suddenly, she remembered.

"Oh, wait a minute."

"Yes?" Tokiya asked, trying to wipe the smirk off his face.

Ignoring his expression, Haruka rolled her eyes and continued. "Please do tell me how you came to a decision on performing on the Cultural Festival as an idol group. Last time I remembered, you were ridiculing Cecil for suggesting such idea."

Tokiya looked blank for a moment, completely forgetting the reason why he went here on the first place.

"Hm… We have awfully gone out of topic." He dryly noted. "I blame it on you, Nanami-san, for answering my question in such a crude manner."

Golden eyes widened. "So it's _my _fault now?!"

The bluenet laughed.

"I'm just joking; you don't need to look so offended. Now, where shall I start…?"

.

.

"Um, wait a minute." Haruka made him stop his story-telling, utterly confuse about it. "So are you telling me that the student council president of Raging Academy challenged you to have a concert on the cultural festival and whoever gets the most ticket sales win?"

Tokiya nodded in confirmation.

"And your prize for winning this contest is that they won't reveal to the public that the so-called Mischief duo of Shining Academy trespassed inside their school while in the influence of alcohol and attacked a number of students and also some school personnel?"

He nodded again.

"And the members of that duo are Ichinose Hayato, your mistakenly assumed 'twin' brother, while other one is Shinomiya Satsuki."

The bluenet nodded for the third time.

"I know who Hayato is," Haruka scratched the back of her head, still troubled. "But please do tell me who is this 'Shinomiya Satsuki'. Is he Shinomiya's, and I mean _Shinomiya Natsuki_, twin brother? Or don't tell me," She laughed sarcastically. "He's Shinomiya's _other _self, just like you and Hayato-kun?"

Tokiya nodded for the fourth time.

"Please do tell me you only nodded because I asked you three straight questions that had the answer yes and so you automatically nodded on the fourth."

Now he shook his head.

Golden eyes widened, she immediately stood up, finally getting off from the poor piano keys, in shock.

"You have _got _to be joking."

Tokiya sighed, rubbing his temples.

"I wish I were, Nanami-san."

"B-b-but," She furrowed her eyebrows. "What the in the name of all things that makes sense? How is that possible? How can there be two people in this school with a dual-personality and the two of them are part of the student council and the two of them share the same circle of friends?"

"I wish I can answer you, Nanami-san. I didn't know about this not until a few hours ago."

"Wait," She paused. "You didn't know about Shinomiya's other self?"

Blue eyes widened, he chuckled.

"That is a very hilarious question, Nanami-san. Of course I know about him, we actually found out about Satsuki-san a few days after I told them _I _had my own. At first, everyone in ARISH had the same reaction as yours. But seeing that we can't change the fact that they were friends with two mentally insane people, they just let it go and life went on. By what I meant by I didn't know about it was my so-called 'twin brother' was apparently infamous around the different schools in Tokyo."

Tokiya's explanation sounded as if he was just talking about the weather. This was too bizarre.

Seeing Haruka's reaction, the bluenet sighed in exhaustion.

"Nanami-san, please don't think my explanation is too ordinary. Please just think of it as having an extra 'Ichinose Tokiya/Hayato' around, except the other one is blond and their names are 'Shinomiya Natsuki/Satsuki'."

The rosette still thought it was rather enchanting to have such coincidence, but with Tokiya's reasoning, she dismissed the subject just as he suggested.

"Um… okay." She nodded, finally giving up. "STARISH is a rather peculiar group."

The bluenet _laughed_. It wasn't a gentle chuckle nor his sexy but aggravating smirk, it was a _real _**_laugh._**_  
_

"If you only knew, I have yet to tell you more." Before Haruka could ask what Tokiya meant by that, he started speaking. "Three of us, which are Jinguuji, Hijirikawa, and I are heirs of the companies that make Japan's economy going. Kurusu suffered a severe cardiovascular disease on his childhood days. Otoya is the son of the principal of Shining Academy and he only found out when we transferred here, and lastly Aijima is an Arabian prince banished from his home country Agnapolis for being half-Japanese."

"Wow." That's all she could say.

Tokiya nodded in agreement. "Wow, indeed."

.

.

The two headed home. As usual, the bluenet walked his girlfriend on the way home.

"Since when did you learn how to play the piano?" Tokiya asked, holding her hand.

Haruka, even though they have kissed for the second time, found the concept of 'holding hands' as awkward.

"As I can still remember," She tilted her head to the side, doing the thinking gesture. "I learned how to play it before I could even see."

Tokiya was about to say that she was exaggerating, there was no possible way that she could learn how to play when she was still an infant. But then he realized that Haruka meant that she learned how to play the piano before she had her eye surgery at age 7. Good thing the rosette didn't seem to notice his reaction, for he thought he was such a jerk for almost saying something that might have hurt her.

"As you know," Haruka continued. "When a person has one of his senses taken away from him, his _other _senses are sharpened compared to normal people with five senses. On my case, my sense of hearing and touch are highly sensitive so I quickly learned by just feeling the keys with my fingers and memorizing the sounds it created when I played it. By the time I was 6, I could proudly say that I was better at playing the piano than the normal children the same age as I. A two years after that, after I had my surgery and managed to get used to my new found sense of sight but my sense of hearing and sense of touch wasn't as good as before, I could play as good as the people five times my age."

"That's amazing." He let go of her hand and started clapping, truly impressed.

Haruka blushed and looked away. The bluenet smiled and took hold of her hand once more.

"That song you sang," Tokiya started swaying their hands like little children, she didn't know whether to get annoyed or be amused. Knowing how adorable and how this does not happen every so often, especially if the man doing it was _Ichinose Tokiya_, must I emphasize, the latter won. "It was very beautiful. And your voice, it was so… _wow. _What's the title of the song?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Ichinose-san." By now, the rosette looked like the deepest shade of red he has ever seen. "I named it '_Maigo no Kokoro_'." But she answered his question anyway.

"_Maigo no Kokoro," _The bluenet repeated the title, saying each syllable as if it was a foreign word even though it was their local language. Haruka was about to ask what's wrong when he started. "But I'm serious!" He protested, tightening his grip on her hands for emphasis. "As Aijima-san said a while ago, that song was so 'you'! No one could have sung that song better than you do!"

"Ichinose-san," Haruka looked as if she was once again going to cry in embarrassment.

Even though seeing her look like this made him want to tease her even more, he promised himself not to make the rosette shed another tear because of him, even if it was for his own amusement (he admitted that he was a sadist). In order to prevent this, Tokiya changed the topic.

_Somehow_.

"Nanami-san, can you compose a song right now?"

The rosette blinked, before giving him a very _hard _stare. He wondered if this offended her, to ask such thing out of nowhere. He was about to give up, scared at the severely distressing look she was giving when suddenly, she _nodded_.

Blue eyes widened. "Really, you're going to do it?" Tokiya asked, tone dripping in disbelief.

Haruka nodded once more, without even any warning she started humming a tone. Tokiya was really amazed with her ability, so he started sputtering out random words as that served as 'lyrics'. The rosette found his attempt as cute but was surprised at how _sensible _the lyrics were, with that she continued.

_oboete imasu ka? Princess? (__Do you remember, my princess?)_

_nanairo no KONPASU wa _(_That rainbow-colored compass_)

_suishou no youni hora mata mirai ni kagayaku(See, it still shines like a crystal in the future)_

_maigo no KOKORO nakanai de (Don't cry, lost heart)_

_itsu datte kimi no soba ni iru (I will always be by your side)_

_sasageru toki no Dream tomo ni kizamou yo (The dream I give to you, we'll carve it out together)_

_Feel It, Crystal Time_

Finally they stopped. And by stop I meant singing _and _walking. They looked at one another, impressed with the song they created.

"I am amused that you made a reference to my song." Haruka smiled, no longer feeling jittery as she did a while ago. Somehow, even in _this _universe, music was one of the main elements that made-up the girl named Nanami Haruka.

An idea popped out from her mind, she had the sudden urge to shake uncontrollable for she was _so _excited.

"Hey, Ichinose-san? How about I make you a song, so that you can have your own solo number on the cultural festival?" She asked, but for some reason her tone told Tokiya that it was more of a demand.

"_Eh?" _He sweat dropped, taken by surprise by the sudden change of mood and the sudden proposal. "Don't you think it would be unfair for _me _to have a solo?"

The rosette shook her head. "You _are _the president. You _should _have something special up your sleeves that would surprise the crowd."

Tokiya looked down, pondering over the idea. "Yes, I think it would make the crowd happy. But what would STARISH think about it?"

"I think they would _love _idea!" She smiled, eyes glittering in excitement as she was already thinking of composing the song.

He smiled gently. "Then I think would be fine. Let's do this."

Haruka literally jumped in sheer happiness.

"Should we use the song we just created just now?" He asked, "It wouldn't be such a waste if we didn't finish it."

Thin red eyebrows furrowed, thinking about it. After a few seconds, she shook her head.

"No." She replied in a rather blunt voice. "But we are _still _going to finish it."

Tokiya raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

Haruka blushed, looking down on the cold cemented floor.

"Don't you think that it was special?" She whispered. "That song we just created. Only the two of us knows about it, it makes me feel as if it has a special place in our heart. I mean, even the lyrics of the song seemed to connect us together!"

The bluenet immediately understood what she was meaning to say.

"So you want this song to be a secret between the two of us? You want it to be our secret?" He smiled teasingly.

Haruka looked up and nodded. "Yes," She grinned. "Our secret. _Futari no Himitsu!_"

* * *

**Author's Note**: I realized, even though the title of the story is Japanese, no one ever questioned me what did the title mean. Well, in this chapter it is revealed! Hurrah! Mystery solve. Well, in Japanese it is written as 二人の秘密. Literally, it can be translated as 'Two Person's Secret.' But it sounds weird in English so allow me revise the grammar for a little bit, it can either be 'A secret between the two of us' but if you translate it in Japanese, I do not think it would be exactly _Futari no Himitsu, _so let me give you a less complicated and shorter one: 'Our secret'. But really, can you dare say that the song _is _their secret? Certainly one of them, but I do not say it is the main one! Well, for starters, you can include Tokiya's dual-personality as a secret, but a number of people already knew about this so I do not think we can still call it one, don't you think? Another one is Haruka's childhood eye problem, which is _more _of a secret than the previously mentioned. But actually, that's not the _real _secret. It isn't the reason why I named this fic as 'Our Secret'. What is it, we will find out later on!

Hm, is it me my Author's Note looked rather... formal? Recently, I have been reading Anne Frank: Diary of A Young Girl. And I say, it is rather fantastic book. I think it might be the translator's fault, but I found it written awfully polite! And now I tend to talk differently, though of course when I speak using my mother-tongue I still do sound the same but English... Oh, Anne! My Darling, Anne! What have you done to me?

Haha, if you prefer this style of writing and author's note, please do suggest some lovely books for me to read (and buy). My style of writing is easily influence, I do not know whether to be distressed or not.

Oh, another side note! Yesterday, we held the 'Araw ng Wika' in our school. It can be translated at 'Day of Language' if you're curious. We had a _Dulaang Radyo, _I think it is 'radio drama' in English? I am not very confident. Either way, in otaku term's, we can consider it as a drama CD. Yes, you heard me right, we were voice acting! I felt pathetically awesome for doing such thing! I played as the villain! I admit that laughing maniacally like how Light would and screaming in agony as my character turn into a puddle of goo made my throat rather hoarse. It was fun anyway. Better news, we won for the best script and best play! Congratulate me, everyone!

Yes, call me weird for saying this but I just couldn't help myself! The feeling of victory has yet to wear of from my nerves as I still recollect that moment when we literally jumped in joy when we found out we won!

Wow, I just realized that this Author's Notes seemed longer than usual. I'm sorry, I know only a few people are reading this and I might as well be wasting your time. But I haven't updated for a while and I really missed you. Until I update again!


	22. Chapter 22

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 22:

Say I love you

_And the prince fell in love with the fairy that day._

Eyes opened, a loud gasp escaped from her lips. Slowly, she sat upright, wiping her sweat-soaked face with her hand. The rosette kicked her blanket off her body and jumped out of bed. Unsteadily, she walked her way towards the fridge, taking out a bottle of mineral water. With shaking hands, she opened the cap and took a hefty gulp of the clear liquid, sighing loudly as she finished.

Nanami Haruka had a dream.

It was a rather… _peculiar _dream. Someone was narrating what seemed like a fairy tale, but the scene she was seeing was very different from what the voice was telling. The 'narrator' mentioned a fairy, a prince, and a castle filled with books, but what she saw was a 14 year old Haruka, a boy whose face she could barely see for it was _very _hazy, and a _library_. Well, technically, Haruka didn't_ see_ a 14-year old Haruka. It seemed like the 'dream' was more of a flashback of a memory, and so the tunnel of vision was her eyes, which disabled her from seeing herself.

Even though this dream was peaceful, there was an odd sensation running through her veins as she watched the scene before her. There was something wrong, and she didn't know what _it_ was. It felt as if it was deceiving her. She didn't know if 'it' was the dream or it was something from reality, but she knew _something_ was wrong. She just _knew_.

Before her mind can run with crazy thoughts, something made a ridiculously irritating sound of a vibrating object rubbing with something.

The rosette looked for the source of the noise, only for her eyes to land at her night stand. It was no other than her phone. And someone was calling. And Haruka didn't need to guess who it was.

Though she acted nonchalantly, her heart was beating really fast. _Why would he be calling so early in the morning? _She shook her head, scolding herself for acting like a love-struck teenager. Well, she _is _a teenager, but she's not _love-struck. _She's _i-i-i-_in-love, oh goodness why is it so hard to say even inside her mind, with Ichinose Tokiya, but that doesn't mean she'll allow herself to act pathetic and swoon all over him! Nanami Haruka has her pride, after all!

And so she headed towards the nightstand and seized her phone, answering the call before jumping on the bed like an ignorant child.

"Hello, Ichinose-san?" Haruka said, trying to sound like how she usually does whenever she's talking to him.

"_N-n-n-nanami_?" Tokiya stuttered nervously. The young girl couldn't help but raise an eyebrow but ignored it completely.

"What's wrong, Ichinose-san? It's rare for you to call me so early in the morning." She glanced at her digital alarm clock and read the neon-colored date. "And on a _Sunday_ morning, of all time." She added.

The line went silent for a whole minute. Haruka wondered if their line got cut-off when was about to ask him if he's still there when she heard a deep sigh.

"You really are something, Nanami-san."

She blinked, somehow insulted by the tone of his voice.

"Excuse me?"

He sighed once more. Judging from the shuffling sound she can hear from the phone, Haruka assumed that the bluenet was pacing around.

"Here I was, a nervous wreck, contemplating whether to call you or not, and what should I say to you when you answer my call. But then you answered, as if you did not say something very beautiful a few days ago, making _me _feel like the woman in our relationship for acting so skittish in the first place."

So apparently, even the great Ichinose heir feels nervous around her. She admitted that what she told him yesterday was really something, and it may have affected their relationship for the better or the worse, but either way it was not a good reason for them to change their ways and act all ditzy and sweet with each other to the point that even an ant would puke with their sweetness.

"That was a _very _sexist statement, Ichinose-san." But of course, his last words did not go on deaf ears.

"_ What are you_-! Oh." There was a short pause. "I did not mean it in a bad way, Nanami-san. Have I offended you? If so, I do apologize for my words."

"And possibly the millions of women in a relationship around the world."

Tokiya groaned exasperatedly, while the rosette giggled in amusement.

"Oh, you need not to worry, Ichinose-san. I was only joking."

"Well, have I told you that your sense of humor is morbid?"

Haruka rolled her eyes. "Says the man who made a lame computer joke."

The bluenet coughed awkwardly. Once again, she laughed adorably. Even though Haruka couldn't see him, Tokiya smiled at his phone, wishing to see that lovely voice escaping from her delectable lips. Before his mind could think about their… _dangerous _memories concerning the lips, the rosette asked.

"No, but seriously, Ichinose-san, do you need something?"

He blinked, alas he remembered his reason.

"_Ah_," He shook his head, running his hand through his bangs. "why must you distract me so much?"

"So it's _my _fault now_?" _But she was chortling.

Tokiya smirked before stating his purpose. "STARISH suggested that we compose the song at Shinomiya-san's residence. Are you able to come with us, Nanami-san?"

Haruka wrapped her free hand around herself, feigning contemplation. "Well, I do believe that it would be entirely impossible for you to compose a song without me…"

"You think highly of yourself." Tokiya rolled his eyes. "All of us in STARISH are capable of playing an instrument so I assure you that we can compose one without you there."

"So am I not needed?"

"…I did say we can compose, but I do believe that we cannot finish it on our own."

"I thought so, too." She smirked.

The bluenet laughed over the line.

"Since when have you become so cheeky?"

"I do not know myself." She bit her lips, rolling on the other side of the bed. "Do you not like it when I speak like this?"

"No, I _definitely_ like it." Tokiya teased. "I like my women feisty."

"I just think you're a masochist." Haruka dryly said.

"Should I bring some handcuffs and whips the next time I visit, mistress?" He asked jokingly. "Please punish me; I have been a bad boy."

"I love it when you talk BDSM with me, my servant."

"Does it make you wet?"

She made a high-pitched squeak. Haruka felt warm blood running through her face, a puff of steam coming out of her head.

"Oh, _screw you_, Ichinose-san!" She shouted, sitting up from her bed. "I only decided to humor you for a moment and this is where you lead the conversation?"

"Just answer my question."

"W-w-why would I answer such an indecent question, you pervert!"

"What are you-" He sounded genuinely confused before the line went silent. Haruka heard a soft '_oh'_. He burst out laughing, clearly amused at the rosette's accusation towards him. "No! Oh goodness, no! What I meant was, are you going with us?" He rephrased his sentence. "To Shinomiya-san's house?"

Her lips formed an _o_.

"Um, yes." She said embarrassedly. "I will."

"Thank you," Tokiya sighed in relief. "I would tell the others, please wait."

Haruka assumed that the bluenet texted them because she started hearing rhythmical typing sounds. After a few seconds, it stopped, and Tokiya was back. Haruka opened her mouth to speak but he beat her out of it.

"Such an indecent girl you are." Tokiya said in a seductively low voice. "Did you honestly believe I would seriously ask you such a question?"

The rosette made weird gurgling sounds, unable to respond coherently. The male chuckled.

"Tell me, Nanami-san, are you interested in BDSM?" He whispered, Haruka was beating 1000 beats per second.

"Ichinose-san, I'm not planning to ride along with you dirty jokes." She declared, gripping the phone with so much intensity she was afraid that it was going to break.

"What do you think of phone sex, Nanami-san?"

"Are you going to pick me up from my apartment?" Haruka asked furiously, changing the topic. The room became so much hotter for some reason. "If so, what time?"

There was a soft rustling sound, it seemed like the bluenet checked his watch. "About an hour from now, will that be alright with you?" Tokiya thankfully stopped harassing her.

The rosette nodded. "Yes, that would be fine."

"Would you like me to bring some leather and whips with me—"

"I'm going to hang up."

She heard the sound of his sexy chuckling voice before she did as what she promised. She immediately buried her face on the pillow, annoyed as well as embarrassed because of the male's antics. Haruka likes it when he jokes around her, because it means that he was comfortable with showing his true self. But when Tokiya starts teasing her, even if he knew how inexperienced she is on _that _area, she just doesn't know how to react!

"…_Ichinose-san no baka_."

.

.

Thankfully, he didn't bring anything stupid with him.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Tokiya raised his eyebrows cockily. "Could it be you're—"

Haruka shove her palm on his face, effectively shutting him up.

"Let's go." She said without looking at him, too mortified to allow the bluenet to see more of her adorable reactions.

He chuckled softly, shortly following her soon after.

.

.

Haruka came to a conclusion that STARISH was the next F4.

Tokiya's car momentarily stopped. The rosette blinked, peeking through the tainted window. She doesn't know how, but for some reason there was an enormous gate guarding a magnanimous _mansion _in the _middle of urban Tokyo_ and she never really noticed it until this moment.

"Is this… Shinomiya's-?"

"House?" Tokiya continued for her. "Yes, yes it is." He then brought out his phone from his pocket and gave his girlfriend a look asking for permission, polite as ever. "Please wait a minute, Nanami-san. I will only inform Shinomiya-san about our arrival."

Haruka wordlessly nodded, looking at him as he dialed the blonde's number.

_If_ _Ichinose-san considered this as a '_house_', what does he think of my apartment? _A rat hole_? _

After a few seconds, the gate opened without anyone pushing it. Golden eyes widened.

"Whoa!" She pointed at the gate, clearly amused. "Is it _automatic_?"

Tokiya raised an eyebrow, wondering if she was serious with her question. "Silly Nanami-san, of course not! Look at the top of the gate," And so she did, only did she notice a small guard house on top and a security guard making a gesture for them to come inside. "There's someone manning the gate. With a press of a button, it opens and closes." The car started moving and it entered the Shimoya land with such finesse, without a doubt this two are somehow connected

Haruka looked down on the floor with a blush on her face, embarrassed by how ignorant she was acting. The bluenet only chuckled, ruffling her head as he said '_there, there_'.

"All the members of STARISH are rich, aren't they?" The rosette said, playing with the hem of her skirt.

"Now that you mentioned it, yes, all of us are far well-off compared to normal citizens of Tokyo." Tokiya rested his back on his seat, sounding nonchalant about the topic. "But I guess that isn't such a surprise since all of us are sons of important figures around the world."

Yes, yes they are. Three of them are sons of powerful business men, one of them is a prince, one of them is the son of Saotome Academy's principal, while she's not sure about the two blonde's parents. She just knew that Kurusu-san's parents are part of the entertainment business, and Shinomiya's parents are rich French businessmen that naturalized as Japanese citizens.

The rosette clenched her hands, crumpling her poor skirt skirt. Haruka feels so small compared to them.

She has been friends with the group since she started dating Tokiya. Before, she only thought of them as famous handsome young men in school. A first, she was scared of their strong alpha auras every time she visits the student council room. But once she got to know them, she realized that they were also normal people, albeit more godly-looking in appearance. But now, she remembered how little her existence is compare to theirs. This group of men would probably be important people of Japan in the future, while she will always be little Nanami Haruka. It was a surprise how she came to be associated by such amazing people.

"What's wrong?" Haruka felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw worried blue eyes. Perfectly sculpted blue eyebrows were furrowed, his lips were slightly open. It seemed so weird to think that she shared a kiss with his lips, with this person.

She faked a laugh, gently shaking her head. "I just came to a realization that, somehow, all the words I heard from school, that I looked like a fame-seeker and a gold-digger, looked real if you're looking at me in the point of view of a normal person's eyes. I really _do _seem like a fame-seeker and a gold-digger, don't you think?"

Blue eyes widened, the grip on her shoulder tightened. Tokiya gently shook her, as if waking her up from a nightmare. She can see that his face that looked worried a second ago was now contorted in anger.

"Nanami-san!" He said in a scolding tone. "How dare you call yourself such ridiculous words! You are far from it, very _very _far from it!"

"But it's true." She looked down. Her voice was only a whisper, you would not have heard her if you weren't listening carefully. "I am _nothing _compared to you seven. Most of the students at school probably think I'm hanging around with you because I have a secret vendetta." She laughed humorlessly. "Though I could not blame them, it really is odd to see a nobody like me trying to befriend someone in your caliber—"

Honey-colored eyes widened. Haruka found her face buried on his lean chest, his strong arms were firmly wrapped around her body. She could feel him shaking softly due to extreme anger.

"Shut. The. _Fuck. _up." He said so harshly, Haruka wondered if it was _Hayato_ she was talking to. "Fucking Nanami Haruka ain't a stupid ass-kissing dramatic Mary _damn_ Sue, _nya_. Don't fucking say that. Don't fucking say that to _yourself_, Haruka. I would never forgive you if you do that again, understand _nya_?"

The rosette peered up, looking up on his anguish filled face. For some reason, just by looking, she _knew _it _was _Hayato who was talking to her. How he became Hayato, that she was not quite sure.

"Are you insecure of my status? Or my friends _nya_? If that's the case," Hayato pulled away, so that they could look at each other eye to eye. "I'll run away from home, I'll forget that I came from that shithouse Ichinose-family _nya_. I'm going to cut my connections with STARISH if that makes you happy."

"You can't possible do that." Haruka stared, still shocked at the sudden change of personality. But in Ichinose-san's case, it means _literally._

"Oh fuck I _will_." He smirked.

And out of nowhere, his face became a blank. That kind of blankness you expect if a CPU has a face, and then you reformatted it. _That _exactly.

"Hayato-kun?" The rosette called, nudging him softly.

After a few seconds, he finally snapped out of it. The bluenet shook his head, running his hand on his hair.

"What… what happened?" He asked, but his voice was slurred as if he was drunk. Judging from his voice and manner of speaking, Haruka guessed that she was talking to Tokiya. "I was talking to you… and out of nowhere I felt someone pulling me out of my body or something…"

"It's Hayato, Ichinose-san." She explained. "He suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

"Did our car crash or something?" He shook his head again and again, he reminded Haruka of a wet dog trying to dry itself off.

She chuckled. "Not that I'm aware of it. No."

Tokiya smiled tiredly. "That was weird… we made a new discovery somehow."

"Yeah." She nodded. "I think we just made a new step and you're slowly turning into one person."

"I hate to interrupt, Tokiya-sama and Haruka-sama." The driver coughed awkwardly. "But we have arrived at our destination for quite some time now."

They quickly jumped out of the car and headed inside the mansion.

.

.

"Well you took your sweet time." Kurusu Syo growled at them as soon as they arrived at the music room.

It was similar to the music room in Saotome Academy, albeit larger and more equipped. In the middle of the room was a white grand piano, so you'll immediately notice its splendor. But of course, that's not the only instrument there. There were different kinds of guitar, from acoustic to electric. There was also a complete collection of stringed-bow instruments and it was arranged in ascending order, according to size. There was also a wide collection of wind instruments, each looked magnificently _expensive._ It was the wet dream of all musical instrument fanatics.

Even though the room seemed like heaven for Haruka, amusingly, the room felt really suffocating. Not because they were unleashing their pheromones at full speed like whenever she visits the student council room, but because they were probably annoyed at how slow they got there.

"I ordered the guard to open the gate ten minutes ago." Shinomiya Nastuki, who was always so cheerful, looked really disappointed. "What took you so long, Ichinose-san? Haru-chan?"

"They probably had sex in the car." Jinguuji Ren suggested, the rosette wasn't sure whether he was joking or _really_ speculating.

"I really think they did." Otoya nodded in agreement before staring at the two, looking for any hint of their hot love making. The other members of STARISH did the same silently. The rosette could only look down, getting uncomfortable with their teasing manner.

_Is it me or STARISH is on the role with dirty jokes today?_

"Please grow up everyone." Tokiya growled, shaking his head as he entered the room. Reluctantly, Haruka followed him.

"Good morning everyone," The rosette greeted softly.

Almost immediately, the air around the room became bright sunshine and flowers.

"Good morning to you, too, Nanami-san~!" They all beamed in chorus. The bluenet had the urge to hit every single one of them.

Instead, he calmed himself down and coughed loudly, catching their attention.

"So, shall we start already?"

"We were only waiting for the arrival of you two." Only Hijirikawa Masato still seemed annoyed with their lateness.

"I am very sorry." The rosette bowed, but was immediately pulled back by Aijima Cecil.

"You need not to apologize, Haruka." Haruka didn't know when they started the first-name basis but, _okay_. "What matters most is that you enlightened us with your presence."

She smiled shyly, looking down on the floor. They couldn't help but be in awe by her extreme adorability, if that is even a word. And with that, the Arabian Prince cleared his throat.

"Now that the muse is with us," He eyed every single one of them, smiling affectionately at the rosette when he paused to look at her (which did not go unnoticed by Tokiya, a nerve popping on his head). "Are you ready?"

.

.

"No, but seriously." Syo said as he munched on the snack brought by the Shimoiya maids, sugar-free because they can't eat sweet after singing. They just finished half the song and now, they're taking a pleasant break. Haruka couldn't help but be amused that they were wearing _maid costumes _while they're at it; her eyes were glued on them as they left the room. "Have you guys gone that far?"

"What do you mean?" Tokiya asked, primly sipping his Earl Grey tea.

"You know," He shrugged. "Had _sex_?"

The bluenet choked on his tea, Otoya patted him on the back. Haruka hid behind Shinomiya-san, who quickly came to defend her.

"Syo-kun~!" Natsuki pouted, scolding him as he hugged the red-faced rosette. "You're scaring Haru-chan!"

"But come on!" He argued. "Aren't you curious? Isn't it time for Ichinose to get laid?"

The room became deathly silent; all eyes went to the bluenet. Tokiya glowered at them, "I think it's none of your business." He wanted to say but the other bluenet beat him out of it.

"_Hmph_," Masato rolled his eyes. "How can they copulate when they have not yet had their first date?"

All eyes glared at Tokiya, who was now sweating furiously with all the intense gaze on him. All of their multi-colored eyes were saying the same thing.

_You are one heck of a slow and pathetic boyfriend, Ichinose Tokiya_.

The bluenet only scoffed and looked away, clearly annoyed with all this attention on him.

"But we did." Haruka suddenly interrupted.

"Oh?" The calm vice-president raised an eyebrow. "Did he not leave you in the middle of the rain? Where you caught a cold and were at the mercy of a stranger?"

The rosette confused for a moment, she shook her head vigorously as if it was going to fall off. "No. He took care of me and brought me to his Japanese mansion, where his kimono-cladded maids fed me delicious traditional soup. He even let me borrow his guest kimonos so I wouldn't wear my drench clothes. After that, he brought me home and took care of me. I think it's not the best date ever, but I say it's the _most original_. Speaking of which," She looked at Tokiya, directing her speech to him. "Ichinose-san, I would really appreciate it if I get my clothes back," The both coughed awkwardly. "I have the kimono washed, and I can give it back whenever you want."

Masato's mood impressively worsened, now he was emitting a very dark aura that could scare the Devil itself. All of them gulped and they quickly understood why. They need not need to be a genius to understand the situation and the misunderstanding.

Without further ado, the bluenet grabbed the other blue-haired by the collar and dragged him out of the room, closing the door with a bang. Golden eyes dilated in horror, she was about to stand up from her seat but was pulled back by Natsuki.

"Shinomiya-san!" She tried pulling away, but the blonde's grip on her wrist was far too strong.

"Let them talk about it privately." He said calmly.

"_Talk_?" Haruka repeated, panic was swelling up in her voice. "Hijirikawa's eyes were screaming murder!"

But Natsuki had a serious look on his face, which was so unusual it was enough for the rosette to shut up and give in.

.

.

Tokiya was slammed against the wall with a loud thud, he was worried that maybe they might have heard them from the inside.

"You bastard," Masato growled menacingly. "You still have not told her!"

The bluenet kept quiet, looking away. He was guilty he knew, there was no point on arguing when the suspect himself knew that he was a criminal. This only angered Masato even further, he did not even bother explain himself.

"I do not give a _damn_ if you took the glory for what I did for her," He shouted. But for the next set of words, his voice was no louder than a whisper. "But at least tell her the truth that you did not even _help _her while she was in pain! It was all Hayato's doing! And not yours!"

Tokiya kept a straight face even though his best friend was screaming at his face. Once Masato was done, Tokiya sighed deeply, answering in a calm voice.

"I'll tell her in due time."

Masato felt like he was making fun of. "And when is that?" He jeered, his hands were forming a fist. "When Hayato finally disappears?"

Tokiya only closed his eyes, looking away. Which meant one thing.

_Yes. Exactly._

Violet eyes widened, eyebrows furrowed, his mouth opened opened slightly as if he wanted to say something. But all his thoughts was in a jumble. He expected more from his friend, and yet he was doing this. He was being so _damn _pathetic!

"I'm sorry for Hayato that he's stuck in the same body as you." He raised his arm preparing to sock him, Tokiya immediately flinched. Masato swung his fist, but stopped before it even managed to his friend's face. "Hayato," Masato's voice became fairly calmer. "You should have told her. It's unfair for you."

The bluenet looked up, showing defiant eyes. It was that kind of eyes that grew strong through years of hardship, through years of insults and pain. Indeed, it was Hayato in possession now.

_Tokiya, you weakling. _Masato gritted his teeth. _Just the mere feeling of danger sends you fleeing while you allow your other self to bear all the pain._

Instead of saying something snappy, the blue-haired idiot only grinned. Grinning like an idiot everyone said he was. But his expression was tight, he was sure he was faking it. And a few seconds later, droplets of liquid trail down on his cheek. Masato was taken aback; he immediately placed his hand down and took a step backwards.

"Hayato…?" He called.

Hayato continued grinning. But no matter how much he forced that happy expression, his tears kept flowing like an open faucet. The other bluenet immediately frowned, he raised his hand in order to touch his shoulder, but stopped when he heard the other personality spoke.

"There's no point if I did, _nyaro_?" He tried to laugh, but it only came out as a harsh restrained sob. "Because I am also guilty, this is my way of repenting for my sins."

"_Guilty_?" Masato repeated. "You did nothing wrong! You—"

"I fell in-love with her!" Hayato shouted. "That itself is a grave mistake! I am nothing _nya_. I am just a personality that Tokiya wanted to be extinguished in order for him to be perfect! I am not even a real person, I have no right to love… to love the woman of the person I'm sharing with, of all people _nya_!" He looked down, biting his lips before punching the wall. "Can't you see? Haruka, the only person that I'll ever love, wanted me _gone_! She wants his beloved Tokiya to be normal _nya_! What good will I get if I told her anyway? A thank you _nya_?" He crouched down the floor, gripping his blue locks. "Every moment with her is so painful, Masato. Because she's only doing it to find a way to get rid of me. If I told her, she'll feel indebted to me. And if she did… she might…"

He did not continue, but the bluenet already had a clue what he was planning to say. Slowly, Masato closed his eyes and nodded.

"I understand." He said softly.

Hayato finally stand up, wiping his red eyes with his arm.

"Promise me not to tell her."

Masato nodded once more.

The bluenet smiled and raised his fist, signaling for a fist bump. The _other _blue-haired rolled his eyes and laugh, but fist-bumping him anyway.

"That's why you're why _other_ best friend _nya_." Hayato smiled cheekily.

"Shut up."

.

.

Because the room was soundproof for it was a music room, they couldn't hear what was happening outside.

To say that Haruka was nervous was an understatement. She didn't even understand why Hijirikawa-san had gotten so angry. Was there something that she said? If it was her, then why not talk to her instead of grabbing Tokiya by the collar as if he was planning to beat the crap out of him?

After a few minutes, the door opened. She was expecting a bruised-face Tokiya, but he looked completely fine. Actually, both of them looked unharmed. But something _did _change.

"OHAYAHHO!" It was no other than Hayato greeting them, waving his hand like a sugar-high idiot. "ARE YOU ALL DOING WELL NYAAAAAAA?!"

"Hayato-kun?" Golden eyes widened, surprised to see him. If he appeared then it meant that Masato tried to harm her boyfriend.

"Have you missed me?" He winked teasingly; the rosette couldn't help but blush and look away.

Hayato liked to tease her. Because she was always treating him like a joke. So during this moment, he was expecting her to just ignore his statement, act as if all of his words were petty jest and nothing more than words in order to aggravate her. Not _this_.

"Well, _yes_," She fidgeted. "Of course I did."

It felt as if time stopped. His windpipe closed, disabling him from breathing for a moment. Dark blue eyes stared at the fierce golden ones, as if her words were enough to create world peace. hMasato immediately examined his reaction, wondering what he's going to do in this situation.

_Why must you make every so complicated nya? _The bluenet shouted inside his mind.

"Well I have you know that _I _did _not, nya~!" _Hayato puffed his chest proudly, as if it was the greatest achievement ever. _If only she knew how I wish I was Tokiya when he's with her…_

"Mou!" Haruka pouted, but she was chuckling.

"Oh damn," Syo rolled his eyes. "So sweet, I could puke."

Hayato glared at the small blond before jumping on him and trapping him in a massive bear hug.

"MOOOOOOU! SYO-CHAAAAAAAN!" He started rubbing his face aggressively on Syo's cheek. "I know you want me for yourself, nya! But control yourself!"

"What the—" Syo struggled, but to no avail. "You disgusting bastard get off of me!"

But this only made the arms around him tightened.

"Syo-kuuuuuun!" Hayato complained, wiggling his body like a pervert. The blond shivered underneath him in terror. "You're such a _tsundere!"_

"ANYONE! HELP ME!"

The whole room burst out laughing. It was clearly fun whenever Hayato's around. But unknown to must, underneath that pierrot was a man crying inside.

_I love you_.

Those simple three words, he wanted to tell her. But it's impossible. Knowing who she was and what he is.

.

.

"_YOSHA_!" They all swung their hands, clearly tired.

"Okay everyone, thank you for the good work!" Haruka clapped her hands, the others joined her. "We are almost done! Just a little bit more. Next week let's finish this and make this the best song Saotome Academy has ever heard!"

"Yeah!" They all pumped their fist in the air.

And with that, they were done for today. After a few minutes, they started leaving. Almost everyone was gone, except Shinomiya (which is obvious because this is _his_ house), Hayato, and the rosette standing in the middle of the music room.

"Aren't you two leaving?" Natsuki asked, he was standing in front of the door, planning to go to his respective room.

"I'm waiting for her." Hayato pointed at Haruka, who was busy fixing the piano notes.

"Uh, I'm really sorry, Shinomiya-san, for the trouble!" She bowed, crumpling the sheets of paper slightly because it got crushed between her arm and her chest. "But is it possible that we stay here for a couple more hours?"

"We?" The bluenet repeated, looking at her in disbelief. "Nya! I wanna go home! _Kaeritai! Kaeritai_!"

"Oh, it's okay." Natsuki smiled, completely ignoring the noisy Hayato. "Just tell me when you're planning to leave."

Harua nodded and the blond waved his hands before leaving.

"Hey! What's the big idea—"

Golden eyes stared at him with seriousness, whatever ranting he wanted to say immediately flew out of the window. Hayato was slightly taken aback, wondering why she was giving him such a look.

"Hayato-kun." She called.

Blue eyes widened. His heart was beating ridiculously fast. Could it be, that she knew about it?

Haruka moved forward, slowly she opened her mouth. Hayato expected her to say thank you for what she did and all the sappy words his poor heart wanted to hear, but much to his dismay it was no closer to what he thought she would say.

"Let's make a song." She said with determination. "A song that will once and for all make you one with Ichinose-san!" Her eyes were glittering dramatically; it reminded him of overly-enthusiastic anime characters. "I already thought of the tone! And oh!" She took a piece of paper from the sheets on the piano. "I suggest a lyric that you 'want to break free from your mask'! Doesn't that fit for your case?!

The bluenet tried to hide his dissatisfaction; he only nodded and gave a thumb up.

"Uh, nya, sure." He chuckled forcefully.

"I realized that you're becoming one with Ichinose-san in a much faster rate than I expected!" Haruka beamed at him, clenching her fist in excitement. "I noticed that a while ago! When Tokiya was shaking in anger, you suddenly flipped sides with him!"

Hayato looked away. "Uh, yeah. I did. Ahehe… heh nya."

And what followed was a long awkward silence.

"Why don't you sound so excited!" Haruka stomped her feet angrily. "Don't you want to be normal soon?!"

"Of course I do nya!" The bluenet raised his hand, making a stop gesture. "I would _love _to be normal! It's just that…" He looked down, his voice was ludicrously low. "… would you miss me if I disappeared?"

"Pardon?" The rosette placed her hand on her ear. "Hayato-kun, may you repeat that?"

A part of him was happy that she didn't manage to her him, but there was also a part of him that wished she would answer his question.

"Stupid woman," Hayato propped up his arms, rolling his eyes. "Ya better get yer ear cleaned nya!"

"You're so mean!" Haruka shouted.

He only laughed.

_Even though it's so painful. He would not show. Even though he wanted to trap her in his arms, he will restrain himself._

"Shut up and let's get this shit over with nya!" Hayato announced, sitting on the piano bench with much noise possible.

_He was nothing. He shouldn't even exist._

Instead of arguing, Haruka only followed and set beside him. Hayato felt heat rising up on his cheeks; the rosette was too close for his taste. She turned her head and faced him.

"_Hai, hai,_ Hayato-kun!" She childishly stuck her tongue out.

"How juvenile nya." The bluenet noted.

"I am surprise that you even know the word." Haruka rubbed her chin, impressed.

"Shut up!" He blushed, looking away.

He wasn't a man of words. But he never knew saying those words would be so hard.

.

.

And so they started composing for Hayato-kun's speacial song number. The bluenet was abnormally lethargic than usual, or maybe it was just her imagination. After all, they haven't spent time together for quite some time.

"…you."

Long eyes lashes fluttered. She was sure that she heard Hayato mutter something. Haruka turned and was about to ask of he said anything but stopped immediately when she saw droplets landing on the piano key. Golden eyes widened, she immediately scooted over and gave him a tight embrace.

"Hayato-kun!" She shook his body softly. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Did Hijirikawa-san do something to you? Tell me, where does it hurt?" She stood up and headed towards the cabinet. "I think there's a first aid kit in this room-"

"… I love you."

Haruka stopped dead on her tracks. She spun, honey eyes dilated as she gazed back at sad dark eyes. For a moment, she didn't believe it was Hayato before her. He never looked so dull, no matter how terrible everyone was to him.

"H-h-hayato-kun-" She moved closer, placing her hand on his shoulder. "What you said, that's-"

"I said I love you damn it!" He shouted, grabbing her hand.

Haruka found herself lying on the poor piano keys, staring at his frustrated but depressed eyes. A broken noise echoed across the room. Good thing this room was soundproof or else everyone in the house would have checked on them because of the ruckus they have made.

"Hayato-kun what are you—" Haruka tried standing up but was stopped when she felt felt harsh lips on hers.

Her eyes dilated in horror. Her previous memories with the exact encounter with Hayato surfaced. This happened before, but she doesn't understand why he's repeating it!

She tried pushing him away, but he was far to strong. _Certainly, he's just trying to mess with me_. But no, he was serious this time. He was far too rough and she knew that Hayato wouldn't play the same joke on her twice. Last time, he was only doing it to scare her away from Tokiya. Now she doesn't know his purpose!

She gasped when she felt hands hovering under her shirt, pulling her bra up. No, last time they didn't go as far as this. Hayato wouldn't do this to her- not again he wouldn't! But why...?

"Hayato-kun!" Haruka shouted. "Please stop!"

But her shouts entered on deaf ears.

This time, she was wearing a skirt so it was easier to pull her underwear down. The rosette cried, tears staining her face.

"Hayato-kun, don't do this..." She begged, no longer having the strength to fight back.

Finally, he stopped.

"Do you hate me nya?"

A tear fell from her face. It was not hers, but Hayato's. She blinked, staring at his anguished face.

Why... did he look as if _he _was the one who was suffering _more _than her? As if this pains him to do this?

"Because if you do..." He choked his words out, barely understandably because of his loud sobs.

He took a step back, moving as far away as he could get from her. Haruka could only stare at him, unable to comprehend the situation. Hayato looked at him, forcing a smile as tears continued to fall from his cheeks.

"I can finally give up on you."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Well, this was rather intense.

The rape scene was supposed to be more... _more_ but I am not planning to turn this into a M-rated story. Well, at least not _here_. After what FFdotnet to me after I posted one xD Haha. _If_ I do, I think I'm going to post it on AO3.

So guys, which song should I use? For the cultural festival I mean? Wow, the end is getting real close. I think this story might end by 30 up to 35, a lot faster than I thought it would be.

Reviews?


	23. Chapter 23

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 23:

Cruel yet Beautiful World

At least two hours has passed since Shinomiya Natsuki left the room. And since those last two hours, neither one of them bothered to step out of the room.

'_All that song-composing must've made them hungry!' _He thought, fully concerned about their growling stomachs.

Natsuki, being the kind host that he is, decided to go visit the kitchen and make them some snacks.

But sadly, the main chef caught him sneaking in.

"Yes, Nastuki-sama, I know that you want to make your guest happy by offering them cookies that you, yourself, _baked_." The chef cringed; the blond could only tilt his head to the side wondering he made such a reaction. "But please, I do not want your parents thinking that I am not doing my job and they pay me all for nothing. So please, just wait outside and the maids will deliver the snacks to you. You can give the snacks to them, so that even if you're not the one who baked it, you put an effort to deliver it to them."

Natsuki was slightly dejected; he would not be able to show his great baking skills to Haru-chan. But that would be alright! As long as they feel welcome at home then he doesn't mind. And also noticed that whenever someone eats his cooking, they would end up _fainting _because of how delicious it was! He wouldn't want the rosette to get unconscious while she was composing a song. They had to finish it as soon as possible after all.

The blond obediently left the room and sat on its doorsteps, waiting patiently for the sweets to be finished. As soon as he left, all the kitchen staffs sighed in relief.

After approximately 20 minutes, the cookies were finally done. Thankfully, Chef-san allowed Natsuki to at least transfer his finished products on a separate plate without being told by him to 'let the maids to do it'. As soon as he was done, he told the maids to prepare some Earl Grey tea and deliver it to the music room. As soon as he heard their soft 'yes, Natsuki-sama', the giddy blonde left the room and headed towards the said destination.

"Hey, Hayato-kuuuun~! Haru-chan~! I've brought—"He wasn't able to finish his sentence, his voice got stuck on his throat as soon as he saw the sight before him.

Nanami Haruka was lying on the piano, with a very confused expression on her face. Her appearance was completely disheveled, her blouse hiked up while her underwear was pulled down. Her hair was all over the place, her pale was ridiculously pale due to shock. A few feet standing away from her, Ichinose Tokiya was staring at Natsuki with dead, empty eyes. It's wasn't hard to guess what just happened and what _would have _happened if he didn't enter the room.

Even though a lot of people think he's such a sweet giant, there are times when he needs to act rough and use his size as an advantage.

_Just like now._

Natsuki quickly set aside the metal tray he was holding and placed it on a nearby stand, charging towards the bluenet like a football player. Both of them came crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

"Now's your chance!" The blond shouted, pushing down Hayato even though he did not need to. He didn't bother fight back.

The rosette nodded hesitantly. She quickly fixed herself and ran out from the room.

Natsuki's body relaxed and a sigh of relief escaped from his lips when he heard the sound of the door being harshly closed. But as soon as a sense of relaxation spread throughout his veins was as fast as how tension took control of his body. His whole body seething in anger, he wouldn't be joking if he was literally shaking. Those light green eyes that always showed kindness and sincerity was replaced with confusion and disbelief. Natsuki grabbed the bluenet's collar and shook him vigorously.

"How could you do that, Hayato-kun!" Even with his words and actions, the blond didn't sound angry. He sounded as if he was going to cry soon, he just couldn't believe that Tokiya's other self would do such a horrible thing! Before he could do any further damage, he realized something and stopped. "No, judging from the impact, you're probably Tokiya now. There's no point interrogating you…"

"No, it's me _nya_." The bluenet answered. His voice was as blank as his expression. "I'm Hayato."

Ocean green eyes widened, the grip on his collar loosened. "But how…?"

"I saw you enter the room. It wasn't hard to guess what you're planning to do nya." He forced a laugh, but his eyes said otherwise. "And even if you're a giant, I know you enough that you wouldn't be as aggressive as Satsuki's potential. Speaking of which, hey nya." Hayato raised his hand and held Natsuki's glasses. "Can I borrow this for a moment?"

Before the Natsuki could answer, Hayato pulled it and wore it for himself.

The blond blinked. We all know that it's the same green eyes, but they no longer represented that person we all know as Shinomiya Natsuki. His eyes were no longer kind, it was replaced by sharpness and a level of roughness that even a grown man would notice as ridiculously intimidating. He wasn't the ditzy person we all knew, he was the polar opposite. He was no other than Natsuki's other self, Shinomiya Satsuki.

"Why am I pinning you down?" Satsuki asked nervously, multiple strings of sweat trailed down his face. "Oh _please_ don't tell me Natsuki finally lost it and started attacking you, too, calling you cute and all this shit?"

Hayato smiled and shook his head. "Nothing of that sort, nya." Using his left hand, he pushed the giant off of him. "Now get off of me, you horseface. You're crushing the shit out of me, _nya_."

The blond scoffed and rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. The bluenet sat up and fixed himself.

"Hey, fucktard." Satsuki pointed at the other male's face. "Care to explain why you're wearing my glasses?"

"'_Care to explain why you're wearing my glasses_?'" Hayato imitated mockingly, a music book was sent flying to his face. "Pft, now you're just talking fancy."

"Shut it, Hayato, speak up or I'll make you." He growled at him, baring his teeth.

Even with his harsh and threatening words, the bluenet knew he was just joking. They've been screaming at each other's throats for as long as they could remember and yet they were best friends. Of course, the only person who could understand their pain was someone who's just like themselves. Even though their reason for existing were completely different from each other.

And spoke did Hayato do.

.

.

"You tried raping Haruka for the second time?" Satsuki raised his eyebrows. "Seriously, is that bitch that fucking hot that you wanted to mess with her the second—" He didn't even finish his sentence. He found himself face to face with Hayato. His hands tightly gripped around Satsuki's collar, disabling him from breathing. He coughed, trying to get air on his lungs. "What the fuck, Haya—"

"Don't fucking call her a bitch Shinomiya Satsuki if you know what's good for you."

They might call each other with fancy names such as 'fucktard', 'horseface' and such words alike. But when they call each other by their real names, they knew when to stop shitting around each other.

"Okay, fine, sheesh!" Hayato finally let go of him, returning to where he was previously resting. "Don't need to get your panties in a twist."

The bluenet glared at him but said nothing. He returned back to where he sat a while ago, which was just a few steps away from the crime scene. Satsuki sighed and lied on his back, staring at the fancy chandelier attached to the wall.

"She must be really something for you to go down this bad." He said in a bored voice. "Man, I wanted to meet this- this, Haruka girl you're talking about."

"You'll end up wanting her for yourself, too." The bluenet smiled sadly.

He laughed. "We'll see about that."

A long silence enveloped the room. Everything was so mute, Satsuki could practically hear the ticking of the clock. For other people, this might be comforting. But for an impatient person like himself, this was probably the worst torture even!

Slowly, his eyelids getting heavy while his body was feeling out of it. Man, it hasn't been a long time since he managed to take control of this body and yet he's wasting his time here, lying down on the fancy carpet, dozing off like a cat! Such a waste of goddamned precious time!

"Hey, Satsuki." Hayato spoke at last. The blond would have been grateful if he did it a while ago, because just now _he almost fell asleep fuck this bluetard he was about to-_

"Yeah?" The blond guy yawned. He tried to sound calm, to tired to start a fight.

"Tell me," He whispered, "How can you brand a person as a 'bad person'?"

"HUH?!" The giant abruptly sat up, "What kind of shitty question is that?"

_Way to ruin the peaceful mood_. The bluenet thought.

"Please answer the question." Hayato said exasperatedly, rubbing his temples in annoyance.

With a '_hmph_', Satsuki fell back on the carpet. Surprisingly, he gave a decent answer.

"Well, for someone who believes in those shit called 'morals' if you do something that's _against _those morals, you're a bad person. For example, if a person kills someone then he'll be considered as a bad person." He paused for a second. "But what if that person killed his victim because he had a reason? For example, that Person A killed Person B..."

"You're starting to sound like you're teaching Algebra, with those fucking letters assigning to individuals and shit." Hayato yawned.

Satsuki made a face that clearly stated '_go kill yourself_' before he continued. "Because Person B turned out to be a… let's see, a corrupt politician or maybe… an overly strict boss, or maybe the fucking dark lord for all shit I care."

"You're the one assigning their jobs."

He ignored his statement and continued. "So in the perspectives of Person A, he's giving justice, or maybe even _saving the world, _because he exterminated one evil person from this world."

"But in everyone's perspective, Person A's a bad person because he broke those morals and killed a person." The bluenet pointed out.

Satsuki nodded."So, all in all, this good or bad person shit is based on a person's perspective. You understand?"

The bluenet slowly nodded.

"We live in a cruel world."

Satsuki smirked.

"It's a cruel and _yet _a beautiful one." He corrected.

Blue eyes widened and he quickly turned his head in order to look at his friend, only to see a sad smile painted on his lips. He found himself nodding again.

"Anyway," The blond shook his head, feeling awkward with the topic. "Why are you asking me this out of nowhere?"

"… why oh why indeed?" Hayato asked under his breath. He closed his eyes and sighed.

Satsuki knew he won't get any more answers from him so he decided not to push the topic, this was a boring one anyway, so he just changed it to something that he knew _both _of them liked.

"Wanna go party again tonight? In that damn club that sells ridiculously expensive alcohols but tasted more like sanitizing alcohol when we chug it down." He asked, a silly grin on his face. "Or maybe you'll find a sexier babe rather than that— Oh yeah, what about that chick on the night club with last time! She had a fucking big rack!"

"_Not in the mood_." He answered through gritted teeth, rolling on the other side so he wouldn't see the disapproving look Satsuki was giving him.

Soon, he heard the sound of footsteps. He soon felt the presence of the tall guy behind him.

"I don't give a shit if you're in the mood or not." The blond spat. "I was asking you out of politeness, you're going with me whether you like it or not."

Hayato sighed, sitting up slowly before wiping the saliva off his face. "Politeness my ass."

Satsuki laughed and gave him a rather rough pat on the shoulder, sending the bluenet back to the floor.

"Just get better disguises this time." The bluenet slowly sat up, shaking his head. "That girl from last time was too damn wild, my wig almost fell off."

The giant turned around and headed towards the door, waving his hands and lazily answering a 'yeah, yeah' before closing the door behind him. Hayato yawned, scratching his back.

He remembered that girl with the big breast. By the time he was dancing with her, her breath reeked with alcohol and her clothes were wet with sweat. The bluenet found her disgusting really. The only reason why he danced with her in the first place was because she reminded him of Haruka. Maybe because of those _long red silky locks, _but whatever. As long as can get his mind off of Haruka, it's fine.

Isn't it funny? How he's trying to forget Haruka by hanging out and dancing with some girl at some club who _reminded _him of her?

_What was her name again? _Hayato took Tokiya's phone from his pocket. _I was sure she saved it on my phone…_

He scanned through Tokiya's contacts and found the number. He blinked, wondering why her name sounded so familiar.

"Oh whatever." He growled, exiting out of the room.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **And so a wild Satsuki-appeared. Okay, so last chapter was overflowing with pervertedness and now it's full of swear words. Seriously, am I such a bad example to children? Sigh. Oh, do you guys know who this 'big-boobed chick' is? I think it's pretty obvious.

Oh yes, I posted a new story entitled: Distant Fields. It's another Toki-Haru fic from yours truly. It was supposed to be a one-shot but it became _too _lenghty so I gotta chop it down. It is only consist of 4-5 chapter I think, I have only posted the first chapter. Please do support me.

Last one. I really need a BETA reader. Like, an official one. Please PM me those who are interested! Please!

**Updated: Approx. 5 minutes after publishing**.

ittokiJr- Aw! I love and missed you, too xD I hope you can log in soon! We haven't chatted in a while! I'm planning to do a Ittoki-Nanami fic when I'm done with DF (also Syo-Haru, Natsuki-Haru, Ai-Haru lol), would you like to read it?


	24. Chapter 24

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 24

A Haruka-esque answer

Blue eyes widened. He felt as if an imaginary force punched him on the gut. He felt nauseous and could not breathe at the same time. The world around him seemed to stop, like a video that was paused. The longer he stood near her presence, the longer her golden bright eyes penetrated his figure, the stronger his urge to grab the nearest dining knife and commit _seppuku_ in front of them was taking control of his mind.

_Please kill me now. _He pleaded to God or Buddha or whoever it was that was presently watching this torture. _Please kill me now…! I'm begging you!_

"It's nice to meet you." She smiled at him, her eyes so kind as it usually was. However, he knows her; she cannot hide it from him. Her eyes were saying that she knew who he was no matter how authentic-looking his disguise seemed to be. "_Hayato-san_."

He couldn't take this. Just seeing her face reminds him of the horrid things he did to her. He purposely harmed her because he thought it would be better for the both of them but guilt only devoured his soul. He tried partying and drinking and doing all those shit just to forget about it. But it just didn't work. He even thought of killing himself just to free himself from this emotional torture but he knew that she wouldn't forgive him if something happened to the other personality residing in this body.

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry_. He chanted repeatedly inside his mind. Tears were trickling down from his eyes. He really did want to tell her out loud but he knew that it would not be enough to suffice for what he did. The word 'sorry' will not erase his sins, no matter how much he repents for it he still did something despicable.

_He was the worst._

"Eh?" Long thick eyelashes fluttered. Sweet honey eyes looked at him with pure concern; such concern that someone like him did not deserve to be bestowed upon. "Hayato-san, why are you crying?"

That was the last draw. He turned his heels and exited out of the restaurant as fast as he could. Behind him, he heard the voices of two women calling his name but he did not dare look back. He ran and ran; he did not know where he was going but the only thing he knew was that his legs were leading the way and he was only following it.

At last, he stopped. He found himself standing in front of an old children's park.

Out of nowhere, all his energy was drained from his body. He fell pathetically to his knees, hands supporting his fall so he didn't dive face first. Around him, he heard the trees rustle softly. The wind was humming an indiscernible melody. Even though he was far away from human contact, he could still hear the voice of the busy city and the honking of the cars. But maybe it was just his imagination.

A single tear fell on the sandy ground.

"I'm sorry..."

.

.

_A few days ago…_

Ichinose Hayato was once again inside one of Tokyo's prominent nightclubs with no other than Shinomiya Satsuki, his friend who, just like him, is just 'another' personality. He was partying and drinking hard like never before, partly because he could not erase the memory of what he did to the poor innocent girl out of his mind. Well currently, he was at the bartender's table, ordering his _nth_ drink for the night. Because really, dancing all night long is not a feat he is capable of doing unless he is really _'out-of-it'_, as other people might say it.

If you are wondering, he started with this partying habit the night after that incident.

What incident?

That day when Ichinose Tokiya failed to attend his date and Hayato was forced to fix things for him. It was that day when remembered that he was the one who fell in-love with Nanami Haruka more than two years ago in that magnanimous library. It was then that he realized that he made a sin he didn't even realize he committed. So he decided to make a distraction to forget about her, which was picking up girls in the club.

He tried different types of women. Blondes to brunettes, tall to short, married woman to high school girls. But they were never enough to replace _her_. It was always _her _in his mind. Her soft voice, her petite figure, those alluring pair of topaz orbs… it was driving him to the point of insanity. Most women in the club were all sexy but he never found them appealing. It was always innocence he was looking for, innocent that only _she _and only _she _could ever possess.

Then shit happened.

He does not really remember when that was but he remembered going to Raging Academy with his partner in crime and attacked some students and personnel there for no apparent reason. Well, he was sure that there was, but he cannot remember _what_ exactly. His memory of that time was fuzzy but he remembered Satsuki complaining to him about seeing a gang from the RA harassing one of the female students of Shining. Because they have school pride, and no man should ever treat a girl like that (says the man who tried to rape his beloved), the decided to make them pay.

It was going perfectly actually, those punks were begging for their mommies to save their asses. Heck, one of them even pissed their pants as the duo beat the fuck out of them! ...And then, some idiots interrupted them. And then a few seconds later some school personnel as well. Yeah. You can guess what happened next.

But really, even if the two of them were delinquents, they aren't that horrible as to hurt other people who weren't originally part of it. They never really intended to hurt _that _many people. But they had to do it because if they didn't, _they_ would be the one getting hurt.

Uh…_Yeah_, maybe that's it. He really was not sure himself.

"Hayato-kun!" An annoying drunk voice that attempted to sound sultry called his name even through the heavy music.

He turned around, only to see a familiar head of curly red hair. Blue eyes widened, he almost called out _her_ name but stopped when he looked at her eyes. It was a pair of amethyst eyes, a far color from her beautiful topaz. He felt disappointed but tried his best not to show it. Instead he flushed his most inviting smile that always makes most people, women _and _men, seeing it turn into a puddle of goo.

"Tomo…?" He silently prayed to God that he got her name correctly.

This seemed unnoticed by the girl for she only draped her arms around his body, smirking 'sexily' (but in Hayato's opinion she only looked _high_) at him.

The bluenet sighed in relief. "What's up?" He asked, drinking on his alcoholic beverage with faux gusto.

"Hey can I ask you a favor?" She moved her face close to his ear and whispered sensually. "Are you willing to hear me out?"

Hayato did his best not make a face. She's not the first person to ask him such favors. In fact, the main reason why they keep on changing clubs is because a lot of women (as well a number of men, honestly) were asking him to bed. Even if he's a troubled man, he isn't so desperate as to randomly sleep with people. Heck, God knows what Ichinose Hajime will do to him if he brought STDs to his son!

"Um, Tomo…" Hayato tried to move his way out of this conversation but the red-haired girl didn't even listen.

"I want you to meet my best friend."

There was a long pause.

"Um, excuse me?"

"I said, I want you to meet—"

"No, no, no. I heard you right; you didn't have to repeat it." He forced a laugh, a laugh that showed how troubled he was with her sudden request. "What I meant was… Why?"

"It's because I like you." She said bluntly, to the degree that he was contemplating whether she was serious or not. She doesn't even _sound _like she likes him as she said it! "I want to hear her opinion before we could start dating."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Hayato raised an eyebrow. "I didn't even ask you out!"

"Yet." Tomochika licked her lips before pressing her great assets against his face. The poor boy wanted to squirm away. "You will. _Soon_."

"What makes you so sure?" He asked, sweat-dropping. Those his voice was slightly muffled because of those… _erm_, _twins_.

"Because in our house, when I like a type of clothing, I get it. It's the same with guys." She smirked, bending down before kissing him on the cheek. Blue eyes widened in horror, he immediately wiped his cheek in disgust. "When we're dating," She continued. "It'll be here." She pointed on her lip-stick tainted lips before disappearing from his sight.

Hayato shook his head in revulsion before telling the bartender to fill his glass.

.

.

Present day…

Last night, Hayato received a text from her. To say that he was surprised was an understatement. He actually thought that she was only drunk during that moment and was acting due to the influence of alcohol. But, shit! There was a complete detail of their meeting: date, time, location, what type of clothing he should wear, what type of food he should order, heck, and how he should refer to her and the pronoun he should use for himself! ("_Use 'watashi' when you're with us. 'Boku' is acceptable but don't you DARE use 'ore'!") _It seemed like she was introducing him to her parents rather than her best friend!

_This bitch better not be fucking with me… _Hayato thought as he prepared for the 'meeting'.

But the reasonable side of the bluenet (it might have appeared because he and Tokiya are slowly becoming into a single person) thought that Tomo's probably serious. Why? Because it does not make sense if a spoiled rich girls would introduce a casual man to her parents. Of course, her parents will ask her how they met, and some other things. No parent would want to hear that their daughter is a slut who randomly picks up men at the nightclub.

Currently, he is at the said restaurant in the text. For once in his life, he was punctual. And he wore some decent clothes, though it wasn't formal, it was those type of clothing that you wear when you're about to meet someone and you don't want any bad impression on you, not the ones you wear whenever you're going to a club or something. Oh yes, his blonde wig wasn't styled spiky as he usually wants it to be. Today, just for the occasion, he set it down. He also didn't wear any dangling metal accessories that might suggest that he's some punk or something. He felt _naked _without those excess accessories but he'll try to endure it just for this occasion. Then after this he'll tell this Tomo girl to fuck some other guy because he's not really into her.

If you are asking why he bothered to even show up in this meeting, let's just say that Hayato's trying to be polite. Yes, that is unbelievable but he's nice enough to assess the situation. Judging from how that woman acts and dresses, she is just in high school. And we all know how high school girls act when they're in-love:

"_Oh my gosh, (insert name here)!_ I just met this _hot_ dude at _(insert place here)!_ We are _so_, meant to be together! _Oh my gosh_! I'm already planning our wedding! _KYAAAAA~!_"

"_Really?!_ Oh, (insert name here)! I _want_ to _meet_ this guy!"

"_Of course,_ I'll introduce _him_ to _you_! You're going to be our _bridesmaid, how could I not_?!"

"_Oh my gosh, so flattered_!"

…Yes, the bluenet admitted that maybe he is stereotyping or exaggerating a bit too much but that was not his purpose on why he brought this up. Try to think how heartbroken Tomochika will be if he just cancelled off their meeting, and what was worse, she won't have a face to show to her friend if this 'dream guy' didn't show up. Well, it was her fault for bragging about him more than necessary, he guessed. However, that's not the point.

Think of poor Tomo-chan if he did such thing.

So yes, once again, let me bring up the fact that he's irritably waiting for them.

He tapped his feet on the smooth wooden floor; arms were crossed in a tight fashion. Every five seconds or so, he would glare at Tokiya's expensive silver watch, as if it was ticking machine's fault why the two have yet to arrive. He also noticed the waiter has been constantly giving him looks, as if telling him to order the fuck up or get out of the here.

_Don't worry, sir._ Hayato rolled his eyes, adjusting his position that would be more comfortable for him. _You're not the only one who's getting impatient._

At last, he heard the sound of the door chime ringing, meaning someone has arrived. The bluenet prayed that it was Tomochika and her friend who entered the establishment and not some random customers who unintentionally wanted a beating for raising his hopes up.

"_Babe_!" Just hearing this high-pitched voice, he already knew it was them.

Ignoring her endearing pet name, he stood up from his seat and spread his arms. Thankfully, Tomochika was not as stupid as she seemed to be and she took it as her cue to dive into his arms. He hugged her tight and placed his face on her shoulder, unintentionally inhaling her strong perfume. He immediately regretted because it seemed like she decided to take a shower using her perfume as the replacement for water and no, perfume isn't attractive to the nose if you use too much. In general, he doesn't _like_ perfume. Heck, this must be one of the few common traits that he shared naturally with Tokiya. The only person that he knew that smelled good without using any fragrant inducing thing is _her_…

Back to the topic. Thankfully, he managed to stop himself from coughing and forced his voice out.

"I missed you." It sounded strained even to his own ears.

He felt the red-haired relaxed in his embrace, thankfully she didn't notice anything. Is it him or she doesn't notice _any _insulting actions that Hayato does?

"I missed you, too." Tomochika breathed softly. _If only it was she who said that to him_…

He slowly let go of her, she smiled at him before turning around. "Haru-chan, meet my boyfriend."

Ignoring her poor selection of words, Hayato tried to ride along with her play and smiled at her friend. But almost immediately, that smile faltered.

Yes, I know you're thinking that Hayato's stereotyping to the highest level already. But he's not stopping there. There's still more.

Before the two arrived, he's been thinking of what Tomochika's 'friend' might look like. Already noticed before, she's a rich girl so probably this friend of hers is some rich kid, too. Because people likes to be around with people of their same pedigree, or so he heard somewhere. And there was a little bit of doubt in his mind that she's actually a 'friend', he thought it'll be more accurate to call her an assistant to Tomochika. His so-called girlfriend probably bosses this girl around, telling her what to wear or something (like what she told him to do). And because of that, he came to a conclusion that she will look like the carbon-copy of Tomo. They might even have the same speech pattern, and even the same facial expression. But no matter how much she tries to copy her, it will always be evident in her eyes that she's some insecure girl who allows herself to be treated like that for the sake of she wants to be in.

That's what he was expecting. Not _this_.

The only thing they have in similarity is their bright head of red. Other than that, there was none. She was a short girl, approximately 5'2. Her hair was short, only reaching her shoulders. Her golden eyes were wide in shock, but it was only for a second and quickly changed to politeness. She was wearing her school uniform properly, like the good girl he knows her to be. If you look at her next to Tomochika, you'll think that she's just some shadow and you won't notice her immediately. She doesn't look special, but for Hayato she does. More than she'll ever know.

And then he ran away.

.

.

.

Nanami Haruka felt an arm wrapped around her shoulder, Shibuya Tomochika pressed her lips against her small ears, sighing.

"Ne, Haru-chan." She whispered in a tone that sent shivers throughout the smaller girl's spines. "Will you still date Ichinose Tokiya? Even if you knew the truth that he's a cheating bastard? Will you, Haruka? Will you still date him?"

Haruka kept a straight face; instead of answering her question this is what she replied:

"So this is why you were so insistent of wanting me to meet him."

The tall red-haired girl flinched; she then wrapped both her arms around Haruka, trapping her in an embrace.

"What's with that scary voice, Haruka?" Her voice trembled, the arms around the rosette tightened. "Aren't you happy that I showed you the truth? I helped you find out the real Ichinose?! Aren't you going to thank me?!"

The rosette's eyes narrowed. Softly, she pushed Tomochika away. Even if she applied only a slight amount of force, the red-haired girl tumbled a few steps backward. Pinkish-purple eyes were wide in shock, she didn't look like Haruka pushed her, you'll think that Haruka murdered her pet gold fish or something.

"Tell me, Tomochika." The rosette sighed calmly. "Who do you think the real Ichinose Tokiya is?"

Tomo-chan looked confused.

"Isn't it obvious?!" She shouted angrily, not caring even if the people inside the restaurant were staring at them. "He's a drunkard, a cheater and a night club addict who's so desperate to hide it that he's wearing some pathetic disguise!" She stepped closer, cupping the smaller girl's face her athlete hands. "Don't you see, Haru-chan? He isn't the perfect guy he wants you to think that he is! He's a teenager, just like us. But what's worse is that he's deceiving every single one of us so he can be the perfect little boy his parents want him—"

A loud slap sound echoed throughout the room. The whole restaurant became silent and all eyes were completely on them.

Tears welled up in Tomochika's amethyst eyes; her hand immediately caressed her swelling cheek. She opened her lips, but no words escaped. Not that she couldn't speak but more of she couldn't make a coherent sentence with her current boggled thoughts. She couldn't believe that Haruka could do such a thing, much less to _her_ of all people! Since… since when did Haruka become this violent? What did that bastard do to her angel? That man has brought nothing to her but disaster!

Haruka slowly placed her hand down. Unlike the last time she had a fight with her best friend, she didn't look like she regretted what she did. Instead, she only gave her a look calm look.

"I know more than anyone how imperfect Ichinose-san is."

And then she left.

Tomochika slowly fell to her knees, wailing.

.

.

.

Hayato was sitting on the slide. As in literally the part of the slide where you should slide down, but because of his sneakers it prevented him from doing so and he stayed stationary on it until now. He had his face buried on his knees, crying just like a little child. He was aware that his jeans was drenched with tears, his wig was about to fall off, and he probably looked pitiful right now for he was a grown man yet he was crying like some kid. He didn't care though. Nothing really mattered anymore. He just wanted to—

"Hayato-kun."

He tensed up and instinctively turned around but the feeling of a small hand resting on his left shoulder stopped him.

"It's okay; you don't need to turn around."

A few minutes has passed, none of them bothered to talk. Silence enveloped the place, only the sound of Hayato's sob sobbing and the sound of nature can be heard. A few seconds later, he felt her hands slowly retreating. He thought that she gave up and was about to leave but it seemed like the polar opposite. Behind him, she heard him make an '_oof'_ sound as if she just sat down, and indeed he felt the warmth of her body just behind him.

Once more, they remained soundless. He didn't understand what she was planning to do by staying with the guy who tried to rape her, but he'll allow her do whatever she pleases.

After a few more seconds, the silence must have made her uncomfortable. She started humming.

Blue eyes widened.

He heard it, this song, before.

The question is, how did he know it if that song was a secret between the two of them and he wasn't present when they created it?

"How did you know where to find me?" He spoke at last, his voice quivering as he did so.

There was more silence. He thought for a second that she might not have heard him and he was about to repeat it when she spoke.

"I just knew."

His eyebrows twitched. "That doesn't make sense."

"_I know_." She chuckled.

Hayato clenched his fist, closing his eyes shut in annoyance Why was does she sound so carefree? Isn't she scared of what he might possibly do to her? Sometimes, he finds it unbearable that she doesn't have any sense of safety! He wouldn't be surprise if her own shadow accidentally got her injured! But maybe… that's one of the reasons why he fell in love in the first place?

"Why are doing this?" He demanded now.

"What do you mean?" She hummed.

"_You know what I mean_!" His voice was louder than he intended it to be. He shushed his voice down as he said the next set of words. "I tried to rape you…! For the second time!" He looked away, biting his inner cheek just to prevent himself from crying again.

There was silence. Behind him, he knew that she smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry."

Hayato gritted his teeth, clenching his fist even tighter than it already was that his knuckles became white.

"Why are you apologizing?!" He shouted. "_I_ hurt _you_! I tried to defile you! I should be the one apologizing! _You_ should hate_ me_!" He looked down. Again, the tears that he tried so hard to hold back started falling once more.

There was another moment of silence.

"I'm sorry." Was the only thing that she said.

Tears continued staining his cheeks, sobs escaped from his lips. Why does she need to be so complicated? Why can't she just be like any normal girl and just hate him with all her might? Why?

"Because you said the prince fell in love with the fairy that day."

Blue eyes widened and he stopped. "What did you just sa—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a pair of thin frail arms wrapped around his tuck-sitting body. She buried her beautiful face on his back; slowly he felt his shirt becoming drench.

"Haruka-" He called out but she beat him out of it.

"I'm sorry for not noticing it a bit earlier. But don't worry. Now I know. I know that it was you in that library. Almost three years ago."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wanted to turn around and face her, but the arms around his body prevented him from doing so.

"How did you…?"

"That morning before Ichinose-san and I went to Shinomiya-san's house, I woke up from a dream." She explained.

"A dream?" Hayato repeated.

"Yes, a dream." Haruka nodded. "A dream where a familiar voice narrates a so-called fairy tale of an abused prince, a bibliophilic fairy, and a castle filled with reading materials. But the voice greatly differs from what I saw in the dream. It was just a boy whose face I could barely see, me, and a library. At first I thought it was just a dream so I didn't really think about it that much. But after what you did… Hayato-kun, you don't have to cringe, I'm not angry. Anyway, when I got home I lay on bed and it suddenly came up to me again. But this time, I could finally see the face of the boy and I could finally identify the narrator's voice: both of them were you."

"At first I wondered how this memory got triggered and why it finally surfaced after all these years. And then another memory came back to me. That day when we were supposed to have a date and I was left alone in the middle of the rain, waiting for Ichinose-san to arrive. But he didn't."

Behind him, the he felt the rosette biting her lips. He didn't know what expression she was making, but he knew it was not the kind of face he would like her to wear.

"You know the truth." He asked but it sounded more of a statement than a question.

The rosette nodded.

"Aren't you angry at Tokiya? For lying to you?"

"He didn't lie to me, per se." Haruka frowned, tucking a loss strand of hair on the back of her ear only to fall where it originally was. "It was _me_ who assumed things and thought that he was the one who saved me, but in reality it wasn't. He just kept the details to himself, so it's not really right to say he 'lied' to me. But to say that I'm not hurt for what he did… well, let's just say we'll talk about by ourselves." She laughed forcefully. "Now I understand why Hijirikawa-san was so angry last time! I have to thank and apologize to him for the kindness I received from him yet I didn't recognize it." She then looked at him and smiled gently. "The same goes for you, Hayato-kun."

"_W-what_…?" He looked away with a blush on his face, scratching the back of his head. "You don't have to, Haruka…"

She shook her head. "Thank you, Hayato-kun for taking care of me. And I'm sorry that I didn't realize this sooner."

"It's fine." He said. "It's my fault for not telling you in the first place."

"Which brings me to that." Haruka continued. "After I remembered these two important memories, everything became crystal clear to me."

"Everything?" He asked.

"Yes. Everything." The rosette nodded. "The first question I've always been wondering about was this: why did Ichinose-san took interest on me? It was because of you."

Hayato remained silent, she took it as her cue that she was correct and she should continue.

"I remembered back in the rooftop, you told me that you were the 'epitome of everything he never wanted to be'. You had all the characteristics of what humans tend to call a 'bad' one. The only things and feelings you're able to have and give were negative feelings so it's not possible for you to like someone. But this contradicts what happened three years ago, back in that library; you said you fell in love with me."

Both of them blushed. Haruka, though hesitantly, continued.

"Because you were not lovable and you should not love, this feeling, through some morbid mechanism in your minds, was sent to Ichinose-san. How this happened, that I don't have any idea. But I know it's closest to the truth."

The bluenet nodded. "It's exactly the truth."

The rosette rubbed her chin. "That explains why Ichinose-san answered me he doesn't know when I asked him why he decided to date me."

"So, what are the other questions that you have?" He asked.

"Oh." Haruka perked up. "This is my second question, why didn't you tell me that it was you who took care of me instead of Ichinose-san?"

"You have an answer?" He inquired.

She nodded again. "You don't want me to be indebted to you."

_How could this girl be so spot on correct? _He thought silently.

"Since we started dating, we've always been looking for ways to make you normal. In other words, we're finding ways to merge you into one personality. But if you told me that you were the one who saved me instead of Ichinose-san, you thought that I might feel guilty because if you look at it clearly, I look like I'm finding ways to kill you. I might stop my mission on merging you because I'm killing the person who tried to save me."

"That's a little bit deep." Hayato shrugged. "But I won't say that you're wrong."

She chuckled and continued.

"Last and foremost, why did you attempt to rape me?"

The bluenet immediately tensed up, Haruka noticed this. Before he could burst into an apologizing mess, she wrapped her arms around him even tighter.

"It's alright, Hayato-kun. You don't need to apologize."

"But what I did to you was terrible!" He cried again. He was sure that after this, he won't be able to look at Haruka on the eyes because she found out about his other _secret _trait: he's a damn crybaby. "I still can't believe you're calmly talking to me!"

"It's because I let my mind act first before my emotions." She replied. "Everyone has a reason why they do things; it might be something small or something that can change the world. But all I know is that you, too, had a reason why you did that. Will you allow me to speak?"

He hiccupped and nodded.

She moved and whispered to his ear. "You love me." His ears became a tinge of pink. "And if you were a normal person, you would do anything in your power to make me love you back. It's the nature of man."

"But I'm not." He said bitterly. "I'm not a normal person."

"That's what you're telling yourself and because that's what you believe yourself to be, you're branding yourself as an unlovable." She frowned. "Which leads to you believing you shouldn't love. But you fell in love with me. And I don't mean about what happened three years ago, you fell in love with me again even after you told yourself that you shouldn't. And to add salt to the wound, you fell in-love with person Ichinose-san loves. You hated yourself for it so you decided that the only way you could forget about me is to make me hate you. And that is by raping me."

Hayato could only look away. Haruka could only sigh at his actions.

"I know you're thinking like that because you think you're just a 'made-up' personality by Ichinose-san. But you're not, Hayato-kun. Well, okay, maybe you born out of his original personality. But after living so long, you made your own. You aren't just the other personality anymore; you are you, Hayato-kun. Don't ever forget that."

"But I really am just another personality!" He shouted. "And no matter what I do, every day, slowly but surely, we're merging with one another without our knowledge." Hayato turned around, Haruka immediately let go of him. Suddenly, she found herself trapped in his warmth. "I'm scared, Haruka…! It's as if I'm dying… with no cure, but if I did, it's for the benefit of both of us!"

"You aren't dying." She whispered, running her hands on his blue hair. Somewhere along the away, his wig fell off. Honestly, she preferred his hair blue. You can find millions of blonds around the world. But you can't find a bluenet, much less a natural one. Only him. Only them. "When you finally merged into one person, it'll just be as if nothing changed. You're still living."

"How can you be sure?" He asked, hugging her tighter.

"I just know."

He slowly moved away, so they could face each other eye to eye.

"That doesn't even make sense." He sobbed, wiping his eyes.

"I know." Haruka replied gently.

Hayato glared at her, he slowly removed his arms around her and instead crushed her temples with his knuckles. Haruka yelped in pain. He laughed and stopped at his bullying, she winced in pain before sticking her tongue out like an immature child.

"But really, it's for the best that you merge into one person." She grumbled. "I feel as if I'm cheating on Ichinose-san for loving you, too, even if you're just the same person!"

He halted all movements. His eyes widened in surprise. Those beautiful blue orbs stared at her, dumbfounded.

"You… _love me_?"

Haruka blushed and looked away; it appeared as if she only realized that she casually confessed her love for him without her meaning to.

"Haruka…" He warned, raising his hands to her head. The rosette looked terrified.

"Okay, fine!" She crossed her arms. "You don't need to be so violent!"

Hayato looked victorious. Haruka only rolled her eyes.

"I… love you, Hayato-kun." She whispered, blushing.

The bluenet could only stare at those honest golden eyes, heat rising up to his cheeks.

"Well, that doesn't sound as romantic as I thought."

Haruka crossed her arms, pouting. "Well, it's not my fault that you forced me to say—"

Before she could finish his sentence, Hayato pulled her closer.

"I love you, too. Haruka." He smiled, resting his forehead to hers while cupping her face.

The rosette could only smile shyly at him.

They remained silent for a few seconds, staring at each other's eyes.

"I've always wanted to tell you that." He sighed.

"Well now you did."

"Stop it, you're ruining the mood."

"I'm sorry." But she was giggling.

Hayato couldn't help but smile at her cuteness. Slowly he leaned closer, kissing her on the lips. Haruka halted, eyes widening in surprise. But almost immediately, she melted into the kiss and allowed herself to be drifted by his sweetness. This kiss wasn't the same as the one initiated with Tokiya, those intense passionate kisses that makes Haruka breathless. His was chaste and pure, the total opposite of his other side. They were moving languidly, savoring the kiss as if this was the first and last time this was going to happen.

Finally they separated.

"Wow." Hayato could only say.

"Yes, wow." Haruka nodded in agreement. "That was nice."

"Want to do it again?" A hand was shoved as his face. "Hey! Have you forgotten, we're at the slide! I might fall off!"

"That's your fault!"

The bluenet only grinned. After a few seconds, he ran his fingers on his lips. His expression was mixed with happiness and embarrassment.

"That was our first kiss…" He muttered softly.

"No, it wasn't."

He blinked. "What?"

"Remember back at Hijirikawa-san's house, you kissed me while I was sleeping. Which reminds me, Hayato you're such a pervert! How could you do that to a sleeping girl?"

He became red as a tomato. "Hey! I could've done worse!"

"So you wanted to do more than that?!" Haruka looked at him accusingly, horrified.

"No!" He blushed. "That's not what I mean!"

And they continued bickering for a while…

"Hey, Haruka."

Haruka turned around, humming.

If you're wondering what they look like right now, they were still sitting on top of the slide. But this time, the rosette was sitting in between his legs, her back resting on his chest, arms around her small form. Hayato had his chin on her shoulder, inhaling her scent every time he breathed. Yes, they're aware that their position is incredibly compact. But it doesn't really matter to them.

"In your opinion, how do you think a person can be branded as a 'bad person'?"

The young girl raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that's kind of random."

"You know," He buried his face at the curve of her neck. Haruka squirmed, saying 'it tickles!' "Your reaction is almost exact with the person I first asked about this."

"But it really _is_ random." She pointed out.

"Just answer, will you?" He said, trying to sound annoyed.

Seeing that he was serious, Haruka straighten up. She looked at the blue sky above them and watched as the birds of the sky freely flied, floating along with those fluffy white clouds. She grinned and started reaching the sky, as if she's trying to catch the fleeting birds. Hayato was about to say she looked like an idiot when she spoke.

"I'd rather think about how good a person is rather than how bad they are."

He blinked multiple times, shock was evident all over his face. Clearly, she didn't answer his question. Oh, but _whatever._ Hayato grinned and gave her a sudden peck on the cheek. The rosette turned as bright as her hair, opening her lips but he beat her out of it.

"Such a Haruka-esque answer."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Merry Christmas, everyone! Here's my gift to you all!

I'll feel unsettled if the two has yet to reunite this Christmas so I decided to post it even if I'm supposed to post it on March! Hahahaha! Hate me more! You won't see Threya Midnight until March!

Until then :D


	25. Chapter 25

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 25:

3P

The sun was setting to the point the sky no longer looked orange, but more of a dark grey. Due to the fact that the playground was rather far away from the main road, it was secluded from all the noisy sound of traffic, giving them the absolute peace and quiet they needed in this rather solemn moment. Both Ichinose Hayato as well as Nanami Haruka was sitting on the swing saddles, wavering back and forth like a ghost. As you may have noticed, the couple decided to go to a ride that was far closer to the ground and less dangerous. They decided to change locations after the rosette announced that she will be requesting something very important, why they needed to move was something unknown to the bluenet but he followed her nevertheless.

At last, the red-haired girl opened her mouth, stating her wishes. He could only stare blankly at her in return, wondering if she was being serious or not. But judging from the look of determination on her face, she was _dead_ resolute about the matter. In a moment of complete silence, Hayato couldn't help but release an aroused moan as he felt a cold sensation running through his spine at the mere idea of what the rosette was planning to do to him. Was it because he was a masochist that the idea of his other personality's girlfriend hurting him made him slightly breathless and agitated? Or maybe it was his inner rationality (if he even has one) telling him how utterly senseless her request was? Surely, a person with a sane mind will not allow someone to hit _them point blank straight to the face;_ unless they're masochists, _of course._

"I'm sorry for asking something so stupid." Nanami Haruka shyly looked down, rubbing her school leather shoes against the playground pavement, creating a strangely aggravating crunching sound. Blue eyes brows twitched, eyeing the heel that was gravely offending the ground. However, his exasperation seemed completely unnoticed by the female. Hayato sighed, instead of being bothered about something so trivial, he decided to look at her face instead. And it was not a move he regretted. Cheeks were pinkish in embarrassment; honey-colored eyes were slightly hooded under her long thick lashes, plump rose-colored lips were bitten nervously just like a little girl would. Anybody would think she was asking for an adorable request judging from the face she was creating. But even if she wasn't, Hayato would still accept it as long as it pleased his beloved.

"I don't mind." He uttered lowly, crossing his arms as he tried to act nonchalant about the whole thing. "Yeah. Sure, go for it." He hummed, trying to act cool about it. Admittedly, he doesn't mind getting hurt because for the last few years of his life, Hayato was always the one taking all the physical pain that was intended for Tokiya. However, what he couldn't fathom is that it was _Haruka _who was about to do something violent to him. The idea just seemed rather unsettling for him.

Topaz eyes sparkled, dilating in relief that Hayato was willing to comply with her wishes. "Thank goodness!" She clasped her hands together, over-enthusiastic to the point it reminded Hayato of the over-acting _shoujo _anime reactions. "I was afraid you'd immediately deny me of my wishes. Once again, I apologize for asking such things from you..." She bowed, truly apologetic for what she's about to do to him.

"As long as it helps you," The bluenet looked away, shoving his hands inside the pockets of his jeans. "Then I'm willing to do everything for you."

The rosette looked at him for a good five seconds; her pale cheeks were painted pink. Hayato was about to ask what's wrong and why she was making such a blank reaction but before he could do so he realized how cheesy his line sounded. Lamely, he pressed his lips together, covering his mouth with his hand. Blood raised up to his cheeks, making him look as bright as his girlfriend's head. The young girl could only smile at him, appreciating his kind words.

"_What are you looking at?!" _Hayato tried to sound intimidating, but his lips couldn't help but form a pout. Haruka chuckled at his childish attempt, only to make the bluenet more flustered. Before he could retort anything else, she buried her face on his lean chest. Hayato gasped; all the things he was meaning to say disintegrated from his mind in a matter of milliseconds. And just as he thought he was going to die from mortification, she spoke.

"I'll promise to clear things with him." She whispered with a muffled voice. She placed her hand on his chest; feeling and hearing his heart beat excitedly. It was odd, knowing that Hayato was a man full of confidence and yet a simple embrace from her was enough to make his heart beat as if he was running a marathon. She kept silent about it; however she was also feeling the same thing. "I'll also tell him about... _Us_."

Hayato took a sharp in-take of breath, shocked at how fast the rosette wanted to discuss with Tokiya about… their feelings towards each other. But then again, wouldn't it be better to talk about things sooner than later? Slowly, he closed his eyes, nodding.

"I'll be waiting."

Haruka smiled, feeling blessed that she has someone so kind for a boyfriend. She moved a step back, looking up at him in order to analyze his calm expression. She knew that she could just punch him at the shoulder or any other place that's NOT his face. God knows what his fans will do to him after seeing the red marks on his face. The rosette was also against the idea of possibly damaging her boyfriend's beautiful features so there's an option for him to initiate a fake assault. However, she must do it. Because she outright told him about her intent, the chances of him not changing to his other self was high so pain was needed to be felt.

"This will hurt." And for safe measures, she added. "_Immensely_."

"Everything hurts." He smirked, keeping his eyes closed. He even had the time to be poetic, the nerve. The red haired rolled her eyes, raising her hand to charge the impact of the possible force of her hand. She took a deep sigh, making sure it was going to be especially painful for his remark. And with that, she swung her hand. A great sense of impending danger attacked his nervous system, he braced himself for it. His neurons were sending signals to his brain to dodge the strike however he kept still and waited for the small palm to land upon his—

.

.

Behind him, a murder of crows flew away, making their hideous cawing sound that used to give shivers through his spines whenever he heard them. Ichinose Tokiya blinked, suddenly he found himself sitting on the saddle of a swing, in the middle of a children's park he had never visited before. He had no recollections on how he stumbled upon this place for the last memory he had was the menacing eyes of Hijirikawa as he was about to sock him. He turned his head, trying to decipher what was going on. Only to be greeted by a very terrible blow on the face. Blue eyes dilated in shock, never did he experience something so painful (yes, he was a sissy for thinking a mere _slap_ was something this excruciating) before because on most occasions, it was Hayato taking the attack for him. Sapphire orbs moisten in instinct, looking for his assailant, expecting to see lavender eyes. But much to his shock, it landed on familiar golden ones.

"H-Haruka?" He coughed in disbelief, hand placed on his injured cheek. For a moment, he doubted that the owner of those beautiful honey eyes was _the _Nanami Haruka that he dearly loved. He was used to see those pair of orbs looking at him in such an affectionate manner. Not this. He never saw this emotion on her eyes whenever she looked at him. It was the emotion called _disappointment_.

"I'll explain to you later." Haruka exclaimed in a no-nonsense tone. "But first," She sighed, sitting right next to the seat beside Tokiya. "We have to talk. You need to explain things to me, Ichinose-san."

He doesn't know what was going on. He doesn't understand how he got here, how many days has passed, why Haruka was mad at him, and why the fuck he was wearing a damn wig that made his scalp feel trapped inside an oven. Whatever the reason may be, he was about to find out. "Have I done something w-wrong?" Wrong. That word was the epitome of everything Tokiya believed that he was never to be labeled with. Heck, just saying it made him stutter.

If it was possible, the look on her eyes darkened. Tokiya need not to be a genius to know that this wasn't a good sign.

"Everything is wrong." Her voice was dripping with disapproval. And upon hearing her utter those words, he immediately knew where this was going. In a matter of seconds, his mind was racing thoughts that has been bothering him for a while but only now did it explode inside of him,

She found out about it. He was absolutely sure that Haruka found out the truth, given the expression she was making. Maybe Hijirikawa finally told her about it, and Tokiya wouldn't be surprised to know if he actually _did _since that man was such an ally of justice. Tokiya felt betrayed, believing that Masato was sane enough to allow the couple to solve the problem together. But even if he feels like this, he would not hate his friend. You can't hate someone for doing the morally right decision. He deserved it, really. They were in a relationship, yet he was hiding things from her, claiming that it was he who did something and yet it was actually his other self in reality. However, the only thing he wished for was that they wouldn't break up because of it. He won't say that this was something 'trivial' because he knows that in a relationship both of you needed to trust one another in order for you to last. But this single secret could be enough for him to ruin everything. Tokiya hoped that they would be together for a much longer time period. But as they say, you can run but you can't hide, the bluenet guessed it was finally time for punishment.

"You found out about it?" Tokiya sighed, lowering his head while gripping both of his hands together, making him look as if he was praying. He would have, if only he believed in any religion, _anyt_hing that could possibly save him at this time of crisis.

"Judging by the tone of your voice," Haruka sat up straight, making the swing creak at her light weight. "You're aware of what I'm talking about." It was supposed to be a question yet it sounded more like an accusatory statement.

He nodded, not even trying to hide from his crime. Tokiya remained silent, biting his inner cheek until he tasted blood oozing on his tongue. He didn't dare look back at her; he was far too scared to see the interrogatory eyes she wore like a cop questioning a criminal. He felt distressed; his feet automatically started tapping the ground in a restless manner just to add his point on how nervous he was. There was a long silence between them. The bluenet expected Haruka to act like how you expect a betrayed girlfriend will: scream, stomp her heels, slap him (again), walk out, cry, the list goes on and on. And this showed how much he lacked knowledge about her.

_For she did none._

Instead, this was what she did.

"Remember the time when we were at the school music room?" Haruka looked up at the orange sky, smiling gently as she recollected about the past. Blue eyes widened, shocked at how maturely she was taking this. "When I told you that I'm willing to wait for you if you have secrets you still don't have the courage to tell me..." She paused shortly, turning her head to the side in order to look at him. There, Tokiya noticed. She wasn't taking this as smoothly as he assumed. Tears were welling up in her eyelids yet she was trying her best to keep them at bay. "I wasn't lying. Until now, I'm still waiting for you to tell me yourself because I don't want to assume things and I want you to verify it."

The bluenet was speechless, looking at those sad yet forgiving eyes. He couldn't believe it. One person cannot simply be this kind and pure. Haruka should be considered as a saint for this her never-ending patience and understanding for the people around her. Everyone thought that Haruka doesn't deserve him as her boyfriend. But it was the polar opposite; it was he who doesn't deserve her.

"Yes, it was Hayato who saved you." He admitted, gulping as if trying to swallow the guilt that was forming inside of him. "Tell me, Nanami-san. Who told you about the truth?"

"'Who told me about the truth'?" Haruka repeated. "No one did, I found it out by myself." Blue eyes dilated in shock, but he didn't say anything. The rosette, being the perceptive girl that she was, noticed this slight body reaction. "Why do you seem so shocked, Ichinose-kun? Perhaps you think that I'm not that smart enough? Well, you shouldn't have treated me for a fool."

"That's not it!" Tokiya protested. "Look, I know that no amount of explanation will make you forgive me-"

"I don't need an explanation." Haruka said, effectively shutting the heir up. "What I need to know is if you ever planned on telling me about it?"

Tokiya straightened up, remembering that Hijirikawa almost said the same thing to him during that time they were at Shinomiya's house. He looked away, biting his lips.

"I don't know..."

There was a short pause.

"_'I... Don't... Know'_?" Haruka slowly repeated. As the volume of her voice dropped on each word, it seemingly symbolized how her respect for him also decreased. She grabbed the chains of her swing; you can see the nerves on her pale skin look as if it was about to pop as she held the piece of iron as if her life depended on it. "Tell me honestly, Ichinose-san." She heaved, carefully choosing her words. "Were you planning to tell me after we successfully merged you and Hayato into a single person?"

Tokiya couldn't take it anymore. The sob he was trying so hard to restrain was finally set free. "I'm sorry." It was the only thing he could say. The rosette told him herself that she doesn't need any explanation. He was absolutely sure this blissfully ephemeral moment with her was about to end.

He didn't even notice it himself, but Haruka was there in front of him. Frail and short arms sheltered him in a tight and loving embrace. The rosette buried her face on the curve of his neck, like how both of the Ichinoses' like doing it to her. Tokiya looked up, trying to catch a glimpse of her face but she didn't even budge. Instead, her arms became a vice grip that was almost to the point of suffocating. But after a few minutes, her arms loosened.

"How many times has this cycle occurred?" Haruka whispered, but it seemed like she was merely talking to herself.

The bluenet could finally move, he looked up. "N-nanami-san?" He called.

"We fight all the time and we make-up soon after." She sighed. "Tell me, Ichinose-san, aren't you getting exhausted?"

Eyes widened in horror, immediately know where this was going. His hands immediately grabbed the sleeves of her school uniform, childish tears trickling down his cheek. He buried his face on her bosom, tears drenching her blouse. He knew this was going to happen and yet he still hung on a thin thread of hope. If he were to beg, will she change her mind? If he went down on all fours, will she accept him? He doesn't want this dream to end. He'd do anything so that a miracle could happen.

"Don't leave me, please." He sobbed, not even trying to hide this utterly pathetic side of him. He was in a ruins that he didn't even bother care what she might think of him. "I need you, Nanami-san. I'll die if you leave me. I... _Haruka_," He called her by her first name, she was slightly startled. "I love you, Haruka. Please do know that these words aren't a lie."

She scoffed, moving away. Tokiya eagerly reached out to her like a child trying to catch a butterfly but was unable to grasp her. "I came to a theory that even your feelings aren't real."

Tokiya looked stupefied. "W-w-what do you mean?"

The rosette tried her best not to make a face and just repeated what she exactly told Hayato about an hour ago. He listened attentively, the more he listened, the more his face morphed to confusion. Haruka felt sorry for him, accepting such heavy information as if she was merely telling him about the weather. "Maybe this was also the reason why you studied at Saotome Academy; it was because Hayato influenced you to pick this school in order to meet me." Haruka added, guessing.

"No..." Tokiya shook his head in disbelief. Hands grabbed blue strands of hair, slightly pulling them. "So you're telling me that throughout my high school life that I watched you silently from the shadows, it was... It was all a delusion? It was all because of Hayato's feelings telling me to do it? All my feelings for you were just a suggestion from Hayato's? Everything I had for you was...?"

Haruka frowned. She moved towards him again, placing both her hands on his cheeks, slowly she raised it up in order to look straight at his ocean blue eyes. She leaned once more, kissing him. Blue eyes widened, he moaned softly as her slick flexible tongue probed the inside of his mouth. Her tongue was soft, and it tasted slightly of vanilla parfait. Guessing because it was her, surely she decided to take a quick snack before they arrived here. Long musician fingers run through his spiky hair, pushing herself deeper inside of him. This was odd, how Haruka was taking charge of the kiss. But somehow, it was such a turn-on that _she _was the one that initiated it. Alas, she pulled away, wiping a string of saliva off their mouths. Tokiya could only stare at her in daze, unable to comprehend all the information she threw at him and out of nowhere she was kissing him like there was no tomorrow.

"However," She whispered in a raspy and breathless voice. The bluenet couldn't deny how utterly sultry that sounded and he wouldn't believed that it came from her lips if he hadn't seen it himself. "This kiss isn't."

He blinked.

"What?"

Annoyed that he couldn't get the hint, the usually gentle girl pushed him out of the swing and Tokiya fell down to the ground with a soft thud."What the heck was that-" The bluenet was about to protest when he noticed that the petite girl was on top of him, unbuttoning his shirt. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING-_NGH!_" He uncharacteristically moaned a high-pitched voice, immediately clamping his mouth shut out of horror. "Why are we doing this outside?! _I'M NOT AN EXHIBITIONIST_!" Tears were literally falling from his eyes due to embarrassment. But his pleas entered to deaf ears. The rosette continued sucking the lower parts of his neck until she left at least a couple of kiss marks on his skin. By now, Tokiya was a sniffling mess.

"And this," Haruka pointed at the marks she left on his neck. "These aren't fake."

Seeing that the bluenet was still panicking, once again grabbed she grabbed his face and held it tight, resting her forehead to his. "Tokiya-kun, listen to me."

That stopped him, with that, she continued.

"As well as the time we spent at the music room, that wasn't fake. And also that time when we were at the clinic when we had our first kiss. And that you barged in towards my apartment, hugging me and telling me to not die on you. All of them weren't fake. Even if the only reason why you had interest in me in the first place was because of Hayato's feeling towards me, it doesn't mean the our bond and feelings for each other that strengthened in each experiences we faced was also a farce. He planted the seed, we cultivated it to bloom. That's that. So please Tokiya-kun, calm down."

The blue-haired male stared at her; it was as if he didn't understand what she just said. Haruka groaned in annoyance and was about to repeat what she just said when Tokiya abruptly sat up, forcing her to stumble on his lap.

"Say my name." He whispered right next to her ear, sending shivers throughout her body. "Call me by my first name."

"Tokiya...-kun?" She did as she was asked. The bluenet made a very sexy sound breath, making all the courage gathered disappear. Once again, she returned back to the shy girl that she was. And before she could react to that rather nice sound, Haruka felt teeth nibbling her ear. "_Ahn_!"

"Do you even know..." He growled seductively, sucking the skin behind her ear as marked himself to her body like what she just did to him. "How jealous I get whenever you call Hayato by his first name but you refused to call me by mine?"

"But-_hah_\- I thought you didn't like- _nng_\- it!" She moaned, grabbing the collar of his shirt as if his life depended on it.

"Why would I? The idea of you calling out my name turns me on _oh-so-much_!" And for emphasis, he rubbed the growing bulge on her thigh, Haruka squeaked in alarm. "And how it pisses me off, Haruka." Tokiya trailed his tongue on her steep jaw, making her squirm. "Whenever Shinomiya-san calls you Haru-chan! How unbelievable that I'm stuck calling you by your last name but he, _merely a friend of yours_, calls you with an endearing name as if he was your boyfriend and not me!"

"_Nghh_!" Haruka finally pulled away, breathless. "Tokiya-kun, not here!"

"Weren't you the one who started it?" He smirked, licking his lips.

_Tokiya-kun suddenly switched to his Sadist-mode!_

"But still!" She protested. She slowly stood up, patting her knees as to get away from this predator. Tokiya immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her down once more. "Tokiya-kun!" The rosette warned only to stop when she saw the serene look on his face.

"I love you." Tokiya said, looking at her straight in the eyes. Her heart started beating fast under the intense look. It took her a moment before she realized what he said, and this point, her heart was beating so fast to the point she thought she was going to have a heart attack.

She shyly looked away, biting her lips. The bluenet chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Even if you have a hard time saying it back to me, I don't mind. Because I know a person who doesn't love me won't try to bother with my dual-personality. Heck, even my friends get tired of me switching personalities at the slightest hint of danger. That's why, Haruka-chan, I love you. Thank you for everything. And I'm sorry for all the things that I've done that hurt you."

Haruka finally looked at him, tears brimming. She shook her head and kissed him on the forehead. "Thank you because I never thought that it was humanely possible to feel something this intense towards someone. I never thought I could understand what this thing called 'love' is, but thanks to you guys, I was able to."

The bluenet raised an eyebrow. "I assume that you also meant Hayato when you said 'you guys'?"

Golden eyes widened, a soft gasp came from her lips. She forgot to tell Tokiya about her feeling towards Hayato! Before she could panic and explain herself about what she meant, the young _kaichou_ only chuckled.

"Don't worry, I don't mind if you have feelings with Hayato. In fact, I don't mind sharing you with him. Because really, if we finally merged into a single person and Hayato doesn't like you in a romantic way, don't you think that his side will find it very weird whenever we do something? So yes, I myself prefer that you date him also." Haruka deadpanned, shocked at how easy this was going. "Practically, we're just a single person and you wouldn't consider it as cheating... Right?"

The rosette laughed nervously. "_I have no idea_."

Tokiya nodded. "I see. Anyway, now that we're sharing you with each other and we're both aware of this- Oh wait, you need to tell him about this first- I will not allow myself to lose to him!"

Once again, she deadpanned.

"Yes, I'm aware that we are only one person but we still have different conscience and personalities, both of us get jealous with each other whenever we spent time with other. Oh, that gives me an idea! Should I create a schedule of who should be active in a particular day as so spend time with you fairly?"

Now you're just treating me like a pet. Haruka thought. "So you have no objections about this matter?" She asked casually, thinking how odd it sounded.

"Objections?" Tokiya scoffed. "Don't you think this is some kind of weird 3P situation and how sexy that sounds?"

The rosette turned as bright as her hair, covering her face with her palms.

"You pervert."

"Hey!" Tokiya pouted. "I know you like it, too."

"I was expecting Hayato to be the one suggesting something stupid like that..."

"But you like it, right?"

"Shut _up_."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Hello everyone. Long time no update. At last, summer has arrived and I finally found myself free from my school dilemmas. As I promised, I am now officially active and I will be updating my stories regularly. Thank you everyone for waiting patiently for me. I have also changed my beta reader, thank you to harukananami321 who has been with me for a long time. I appreciate all the effort you did just to check my grammar. And now I have a new beta, let us all welcome **_Cow-senpai_!**

**Beta's Notes:** Hi people. I am Cow-senpai. You can call me that or Baka-sama if you want. Hihi I am shyy \\(/∇/) I'll be Edelweiss' beta reader from now on. Enjoy!

**Author's Notes: **Awww, look at how shy Senapi (this is intentional) is xD I love you so much senapi, even if I noticed that you decided to cut down this chapter by more than 200 words! And you said you wanted payment for your efforts, don't worry let's go eat at Divine Sweets this summer!

_10 minutes after re-editing and Cow-Senpai is panicking..._

Calm down, Baka-senpai! Haha, I won't fire you out of something so simple! It was my fault for not looking at it carefully so don't persecute yourself!

Reviews? Alerts? Favorites?


	26. Chapter 26

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 26:

Reward

"This is so fucked up." Kurusu Syo buried his face on his palm, shaking his head.

"There's no point on stating the obvious, Syo-chan." Surprisingly, it was Shinomiya Natsuki who said that. He was gleefully playing with his calculator, not because it was a _Piyo_-_chan_ calculator but because he was solving in general. Believe it or not, Natsuki's actually a math whiz even though he doesn't look like it. That's why he decided to he chose the position as treasurer in the first place.

Syo glared at his best friend but didn't say anything. He then turned towards the other people inside the student council room who kept mum about the subject, instead they were finishing their student council chores. "Hey you guys," He called out but no one bothered to even give him a second glance. "Why aren't even you reacting? Why is no one pointing out how bizarre this situation is?"

"Syo-kun," Ittoki Otoya smiled as he passed the mug of coffee towards his fellow student council member helper, the blond muttered his thanks. "You should've realized years ago that on the day STARISH was formed, the word 'normal' has been completely taken off from our vocabulary, too."

"But this is weird!" He shouted, "Why is everyone acting as if these kinds of happenings occur in everyday events?"

"We just got tired of reacting on every single thing that's happening in this group." Jinguuji Ren stretched his arms, placing his feet on top of the table. His best friend, Hijirikawa Masato, swatted it away forcing him to place it back to the floor.

"When we gained a friend who's a prince from another country and has this thing called a _muse-dar_ installed in his brain, I believe that was the starting point of our lives when we realized that there was no such thing as a 'return' button." Masato hummed, continuing his work as he scanned the newly printed documents passed to him by Aijima Cecil.

"I do think that was directed to me but I'll let that go," Cecil sighed, taking the papers back when Masato pointed some errors. "Anyway, we have a lot more important things to do rather than react about something new about our friend. After all, the cultural festival will be held in a few days and we have yet to finalize the programs as well as our group performance. We still haven't created the choreography yet…"

They nodded.

"We have not contacted our _senpais_…" Masato rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "I wonder if they had private meetings with Nanami-san to finish their song. No, the question is, does she even _know _them?"

"I can't believe you people are shrugging me off." Syo looked exasperated.

"Why don't you ask her?" Cecil pointed out. "She's just sitting there after all."

All eyes turned towards the rosette who was currently talking to their blue haired president, chattering animatedly as ever.

"_Haruka-nyaaan_!" A voice with a Kansai accent exclaimed affectionately, long muscular arms wrapped themselves around a young girl's thin and fragile neck. "I wanna to go your place again! I wanna eat your homemade cookies nya!"

"'_Haruka-nyan_'?" A much deeper serious voice repeated. "And wait, oi! Why would you want to go the Haruka's apartment? _Kami-sama_ knows what you might do to her! I disapprove of this!"

"I don't need your approval to do things I want to do." He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"_Why you-!"_

"Tokiya-kun, please don't treat Hayato-kun so harshly." Nanami Haruka scolded softly.

"_B-b-but_!" Ichinose Tokiya protested, his voice weak as a seven year old child trying to argue with his mother.

"**Tokiya-kun**." She warned.

"…"

"I know Hayato-kun wouldn't do things he knows I wouldn't like, I trust him that much."

"Yeah! Yeah! It's unfair how you're hogging her all to yourself most of the time nya!" Ichinose Hayato childishly stuck his tongue out.

"_H-h-h-hogging?!_" He placed his hand on his chest, as if his words literally stabbed him.

"It's alright, Hayato-kun. You can go to my apartment whenever you want."

"YAHHO~! I love you so much, Harukaaaaaaaa!" The bluenet buried his face on the curve of her neck, snuggling her sweetly.

"H-H-Hayato-kun…!" Haruka squeaked. "Not in front of everyone…!"

"But I love Haruka _more!_" Tokiya insisted, hoping that Haruka-senpai will notice him.

Hayato deadpanned. "Shut up, Tokiya. No one cares about you!"

"Hayato-kun."

"Yes, Haru-chan?" He asked sweetly.

"That was very mean."

"_Eeeeeeeh?"_Hayato pouted.

"Apologize to Tokiya-kun."

"But he—"

"**Hayato-kun**."

"… Okay fine. I'm _sorry_, Tokiya, for being mean to you."

Haruka noticed the almost sarcastic emphasis on the word but decided to let it go. "Tokiya-kun, what are you supposed to say?"

"Goodness," Tokiya covered his face with his hand, trying to conceal his embarrassment at the situation. "This is so-"

"To-ki-ya-**kun**."

"Apology accepted." He said almost immediately, placing his hand down.

"Good boys," She patted him affectionately on the head. "You know I like it most when you two get along."

Masato turned and faced the Arabian prince, clearing his throat. "It seems like she's busy entertaining the Ichinose duo."

"It seems so." Cecil shrugged before heading towards his desk to resume his work. "I'll try to call them if they're free today…"

"You know, you're making me feel abnormal for freaking out in the first place." Syo slumped on the sofa in defeat, deciding to let matters slide and just silently lounge at the place or maybe brew a cup of coffee or seven.

It was another busy day at the student council room. But today, they were more in a bustle because the cultural festival was right around the corner. It was next week, to be exact. Since Syo was part of multiple sports club (more like he was a substitute _ace_ that everyone needed when one of their important members got injured) and he was forced to help each club on constructing their stalls, he wasn't able to join the group as soon as the bell rang. Even though he knew that he doesn't have that much use in student council, after all he was just the beverage server along with Otoya, he wanted to attend the meeting as soon as possible. Because amusingly, being late for only about 10 minutes in Saotome Academy's Student Council can lead you to miss a series of events that can last a decade.

And just like any other case when he was late, he _did _miss a lot of things. And this includes why their blue-haired president is changing his speech pattern as if he was a voice actor trying to dub two different characters at the same time. But he wasn't a voice actor; he was a man with a dual-personality. Syo had a guess on what's going on, but what's scaring him out was _not _the man who was answering his own questions but the people around him who was acting as if _this kind of shit happens in everyday life_.

He abruptly sat up straight, pointing an accusatory finger at them. "As if I could casually let this slide! Nanami, what the heck is going on?"

The rosette turned to face him, blinking a few times.

"_Hehe_." Was her only reply.

"Don't _'hehe' _me!" An angry nerve popped on his temple, clenching his hands to a fist. "I demand an explanation!"

Ren nodded to himself, his left hand on his chin. "I agree. I do believe that _you_ need an explanation."

"Right—" Blue eyes widened, glad that someone was willing to sympathize with him. But his feelings were short-lived.

"I don't mean you, _Ochibi-chan_." The tall blond man chuckled softly, as if saying '_Oh you adorable stupid you!'_ "I was referring to the _lady-tachi—"_He then turned around, winking at _you_. "—who are obviously more confused than you are."

Syo sweat dropped. "Oi, Jinguuji. Is it me or did you just wink at an imaginary camera or something?"

Ren shook his hands dismissively; instead he faced Haruka and made a gesture. "I think it's time for you, the Little Sheep, to take the stage."

"…_Take the stage?_" The rosette repeatedly out-loud, it took her a moment before she understood what he was trying to say. She was about to stand up when Ichinose abruptly wrapped his arms around her (again), scowling at the blond _sexytary_.

"Ren _nyarooo_!" Hayato, they all guessed because of his accent. "Don't flirt with my girlfriend in front of me!"

'_Girlfriend?_' Syo immediately noticed.

"So I can flirt with her behind your back?" Ren asked hopefully.

There was a pregnant silence. "You fucking bastard, want me to beat you into a bloody pulp you sick fuck—"

"Calm down, sailor." Otoya laughed nervously, taking his best friend's arms off of Haruka.

Now that she was free from his protective grasp, she stood up and began to speak.

"As you all know, the whole plot of this fanfiction is that I, Nanami Haruka, the protagonist, is looking for a way to finally turn the two personalities inside my boyfriend's body into a single entity. Though you may not have noticed before, I have gradually managed to accomplish my goals. I perceived that the trigger for this merging is when Tokiya and Hayato accept each other, or when they share the same beliefs or opinions. And as conceited as it may sound, most of it revolves around me. After further experiments and after seeing the results, my hypothesis was correct. Personality traits—good or bad—are constantly being shared to one another as if slowly, they're becoming into one person. Lo and behold, after triggering the best one of them all for it created such an impact upon the two, they are now capable of switching which conscience should be active or not. But what's even more amazing…"

She took the nearest object within her reach, which was the student council record book, and nonchalantly slammed it on the bluenet's face. Syo's eyes widened and he instinctively stood up to check on the poor guy (while the other members were blankly looking at the scene before them, slightly amused), but it seemed like there was no need for that. The student council president looked at her girlfriend, trying his best to keep a straight face as he caressed his sore red cheek.

"Did you really have to do that, Haruka?" He asked calmly, but the blond was pretty sure that his eyes were moist due to shock. It seemed like it was Tokiya who was currently speaking.

"… They _still _involuntarily change conscience when one of them feels danger." She spread her arms, proud of her work.

The members of STARISH involuntarily clapped their hands, while Syo could only gulp nervously, wondering what the fuck was wrong with the people of the student council today.

"But I have a question…" All eyes turned to Natsuki, who was raising his hands up like a student calling the attention on his teacher. "What was this 'trigger' that you're talking about that made Tokiya and Hayato…" All attention diverted to the blue-haired guy, who seemed currently normal because he was activated the _usual _way. "… like this?"

The rosette blushed, turning away. The bluenet couldn't help but turn a little red, which was amazing itself since they all knew that he was pretty good at keeping his emotions to himself. Well, that was before he met Haruka, at least. The circumstances have completely changed since they all met her.

"It's a secret _nya_." Hayato answered, winking playfully at the giant. They all looked at him bemused, the sudden change of personality was still a bit odd for them even if they're not saying anything about it, Syo wasn't the only one who's creeped out as fuck here. He then turned at the only female inside the room, smiling affectionately. She returned the gesture, the blush on her cheeks darkening. Seeing the expressions on their faces, it wasn't hard to guess what they were hiding and what evoked another change in their friend's psychological state.

"You _don't _do that in the middle of class or around normal people, right?" Syo asked.

"Do what?" Hayato asked blankly.

"You know," He scratched his head in annoyance. "Suddenly changing personalities out-of-nowhere…"

There was a sudden change in the bluenet's demeanor. "Of course not." Tokiya scoffed. "I'm not as stupid as to do that. I've already talked with Hayato and he understood without me finishing my explanation, we promised each other that he will not force his conscience to take over if I'm talking to normal people who don't know about us." He paused before adding. "Oh, in case you're wondering, whenever I'm in conscience, he's _awake_ and we're sharing each other's senses and this also goes vice-versa so he knows when to appear or not."

The shortie tried his best no to make a face. "_We're_normal people and yet you're showing this magic trick to us because…?"

"_Nya_!" Hayato roared, or it would be more appropriate to say he meowed. "Tokiya said if those normal people don't know about us! And by the way, you're the only person who calls yourself as 'normal' in this group."

Syo looked at the people around him before heaving deeply, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat.

"Point taken!" He shouted, throwing his body on the sofa. He lay silent for a few seconds before realizing something. "What the fuck, did Nanami just refer to us as a 'fanfiction'?"

Masato cleared his throat. "Now that the explanation is done, I hope we can get a move on with this story."

"But if you have further questions," Haruka smiled. "Please say it on your review or you can just PM our dear Cowhai-san in order not to embarrass her because of the ill-prepared explanation she forced me to say!"

"WHAT THE FUCK PEOPLE?!" Syo screamed, waving his arms pathetically.

"Have you finished the song, Haruka?" Cecil asked, teleporting right beside her. This didn't go unnoticed by her boyfriend. "The cultural festival is next week after all… We still have to finalize a lot of things so…"

"I'm done with the song." The rosette answered, slightly proud of her works. They all looked at her in amazement, and they started clapping again. "I only need the lyrics and the song should be done."

"That's great!" Otoya cheered. "Let's start adding the lyrics when all of you guys are done with work!"

"How about you start before us so that we won't waste our precious time?" Tokiya suggested.

"That's great, too."

"How about QUARTET NIGHT's song?" Ren asked. "Have you even started it?"

Haruka looked down, absentmindedly rubbing her chin.

"Oh… I forgot about them."

Out of nowhere, the door burst open.

"HOW COULD YOU THIS HARU-CHAAAAAAAAAAN~?!" Kotobuki Reiji pounced at the petite girl, smothering her with his face. Soon, he found _his_face being smothered by Hayato's palm, a murderous aura emitting from his body. Good thing he was immediately pulled away by his group mates. The brunet fixed himself for a moment before meeting her gaze, trying to create his cutest puppy eyes expression. "I waited for you to call us, you know! And just a few minutes ago I received one, and I thought it was you, but it turns out," He pointed a disappointed finger at the Arabian prince. "_IT WAS JUST THIS GUY!"_

Cecil's eyebrows twitched. It seemed like everyone's discriminating him terribly today.

"There, there." She laughed nervously, trying to calm the hyperactive _senpai_. "At least you're here now, right?"

Syo blinked, shocked that the ever so shy managed to cope up with the ever so active _senpai_'s ways. More importantly…

"I didn't know you were acquainted with our _senpais_."

STARISH all kept a blank expression before nodding at one another.

"Now that you mentioned it, I never saw you interacting with them." Masato pointed.

"Not on-camera at least." Ren added.

Ignoring the womanizer's choice of words, Haruka explained.

"That day after you announced that you wanted me as your composer, when I got home I saw the whole QUARTET NIGHT intruding my apartment and Kotobuki-senpai said they wanted to do the same thing and I told them that I'll attend to them once I finish your song, and I didn't manage to tell this to everyone until now. That's it."

"'_That's it'_?" Tokiya repeated, looking displeased for it seemed like he himself didn't know about this, which was ironic because he was with her when he walked her to her apartment. "You could've announced that the apocalypse is starting and you end your sentence with a 'that's it'. Haruka, why didn't you tell me that this clumsy thing you refer to as 'my senpai' dared to trespass inside your home?"

"Aw, come on, Toki!" Reiji nudged him, but his gesture was only reciprocated by a glare. "… It's not like I'm trying to steal your girl or anything."

His glare became grew darker. The brown-haired senpai sweat-dropped.

"Shall we start composing?" Mikaze Ai interrupted their 'heartwarming' reunion. "According to my calculations, we have wasted 3 minutes and 34.678763 seconds while listening to Reiji's pointless blabbering."

"Ai-Ai," He cried, animated tears falling down his cheek. "You're so cold."

"_Ah_." He gasped softly, catching the attention of everyone in this room. "It's now 4 minutes sharp."

"AI-AIIIIIIIII~!"

"I should probably send the instrumental to you guys." Haruka turned to STARISH, ignoring Reiji for a few minutes ("Even Haru-chan's cold now!"). "I recorded it on my phone, I can send it to one of you and you can finish up the lyrics while I start with QUARTET NIGHT's song."

"I'll take it." Ren surprisingly volunteered. Haruka nodded and she went straight to him, taking out her phone. "You might as well give me your e-mail address while you're—"

"_Jinguuji Ren_." The menacing aura flew behind him, sending shivers down the womanizer's spines.

He gulped and silently accepted the mp3 file. "Tokki and _Ochibi-chan_, my phone's all yours." He said as he gave his phone to the duo. They gratefully accepted it and listened to the song. In a matter of seconds, their eyes were wide in awe as they were trapped in a current of happy pulse.

"Hey, Syo-kun!" Otoya said excitedly. "How about this line '_sen pa koechatte'_?"

"'Surpassing 1000%?'" He repeated. "Why? You want a 2000%?"

He shook his head. "No! A 3000%!"

"Why?"

"Since I believe that this story is going to end at 30, so don't you think it would make sense to make a 3000%?" He explained cheerfully. "But wait," He paused for a moment, looking down at the floor. "But we're currently at a revolution so…?"

Syo looked at him in disbelief. "What… what are you … I don't even." He shook his head, completely giving up. "Okay fine, I won't act stupid anymore. Why are you people so earnest on breaking the fourth wall today?"

"Everyone wants to break the wall from time to time." Otoya answered cheerfully. "I think it's hilarious when it happens."

"Who the fuck are you, Miley fucking Cyrus?" Syo retorted.

There was a deep silence across the room; they tried to imagine the red-haired male wearing a revealing attire that looked either a lingerie or a weird bikini or something as he rode on a fake wrecking ball. When they failed, they all fell to the floor, laughing hysterically.

"_Mou_!" He turned as bright as his hair. "That's just…!"

"Your sentence is offensive, Otoyan." Reiji suddenly joined in. "Try telling that to Kurusu Kaoru. (Syo looked evidently shock, "You know my brother?") Or even better, to Kira, let's see what his reaction will be."

They all stared at Reiji in silence.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"Reiji," Kurosaki Ranmaru shook his head in disappointment. "Even for your standards, that's a very crude joke."

"What are you talking about?" He looked visibly confused.

"He lost an arm, _you fool_." Camus emphasized.

"Whaaaat?"

And now that the two members of STARISH are minding their own business as they tried to create the best lyrics for the song, while QUARTET NIGHT was busy bullying their friend. The other remaining members of the student council hurdled together, Natsuki pointing out something that has been bothering him for a while.

"Wouldn't it be better if Jinguuji-san sent the file to Syo-chan and Ittoki-kun in the first place…?"

"He had ulterior motives." Masato nodded silently to himself.

"_Jinguuji Reeeeeeeen_." Hayato growled lowly. "This is fucking strike three you asshole."

"I'M NOT EVEN DOING ANYTHING ANYMORE!"

"I better get going guys!" Haruka waved her hand, trying to catch everyone's attention. She looked at QUARTET NIGHT who was no longer bickering, giving them a trusting nod. "Let's all head to the music room."

They nodded back at her.

Just as they were about to leave, Cecil said something that quickly got Haruka's attention.

"We still don't have any costumes for our performance…"

She halted walking and immediately returned to the room.

"I think that can be arranged." She said. "I know someone who's good with clothes and stuff…"

Blue eyes widened, Hayato abruptly stood up from his chair. "Haru-chan," His voice quivered, nervousness dripping from his voice. "You're going to talk to…?"

She nodded and he made a face.

"I don't think it's a good thing to associate yourself with such people." The sudden change of wording meant it was currently Tokiya.

"But Tokiya," She argued with a soft voice, making everyone's heart melt at the utter sweetness of her tune. "She's my friend. I don't want our almost three years of friendship to be ruined because of us. I hope you'll understand."

Hesitantly, he nodded. She grinned at him before waving her hands for the last time before locking the door shut. Tokiya silently watched her leave, but a tap on his shoulder made him wake up from his reverie.

"So about the next line…" Ren hummed.

"_Nisen pa kono tsugi wa_." He answered almost automatically.

Ren chuckled.

"'Next after 2000% is', indeed."

"_Love no daikakumei_." Natsuki and Cecil said together.

"A great revolution of love." Masato smiled.

"_MAJI LOVE REVOLUTION_!" They all sang in chorus, laughing in amazement at how sync their minds were.

_Serious love revolution…_ Tokiya whispered to himself as he stared at the ceiling, wondering how Haruka's doing with the cold but respectable group of _senpais_.

.

.

.

"No." Ai crossed his arms. Haruka wondered whether was angry or maybe just slightly annoyed with her but it was hard to tell since his face was probably as full of emotion as a door could ever have.

"Ignorant woman." Camus glared at her with his icy cold eyes; she tried her best not to waver at the real life embodiment of a blizzard and she almost failed if only she wasn't _the _Nanami Haruka. "How dare you impose us with such a horrible song?"

"Myu-chan!" Reiji frowned, "Don't trash-talk Haruka's works! She did her best creating this—"

"It's her fault for creating such a shitty one in the first place." Ranmaru muttered, standing at the far most corner of the room.

The composer stared at the monochrome keys of the piano, keeping her tears at bay and she tried her best no to show her weakness. She clenched her first but decided not to say anything. It was odd; how they were treating her so terribly even if _they _were the one who barged in her apartment asking for her to compose for them.

She remembered what happened that day as if it was yesterday.

"I'm back." Haruka greeted as she entered her apartment for the umpth time in her life. It's not like she expected someone to greet her back, quite the opposite since she has been living in this apartment for almost three years and every single time she returns from wherever place she went, it was almost automatic for her to say those words out-loud. Somehow, it was her own way of comforting herself after living in this small place by herself after all this years.

"Welcome back, Haru-chan~!" A cheerful voice answered.

She halted taking her shoes off, golden eyes widening. Had she turn insane after confessing her all her hidden feelings to Tokiya? Surely not, since she was not that type of person to get easily frazzled by such things. She retraced her steps and went back outside of her apartment. Sighing in front her door, she went inside once more and greeted.

"I'm back."

"What the hell is wrong with this woman?!" A gruff voice shouted.

"… I have never encountered someone who announces their presence twice in a row." A soft and almost feminine voice said. "Camus, is this a common courtesy in other countries?"

"Not that I am aware of," A much deeper voice, the polar opposite of the other one, replied. "In my country, the kingdom of Permafrost, we do not announce our presence when we arrive at our home. We simply enter."

Haruka blinked, trying to gather her wits together. She leaned at her door, wondering if that day exhausted her to this level that she was hearing voices. She shook her, telling herself that she should go get something to drink instead to calm her nerves.

But much to her shock, she was greeted by warm bear hug that literally swept her off her feet. When she finally felt the floor underneath her feet and came back to her senses, there was a brown-haired man grinning at her. On the living room which was behind him, a cyan-haired male was lying on her cream white sofa and was skimming through her old medical books she inherited from her late father. On the right side of her apartment, which was the dining room and kitchen, were two light-haired male. A long blond-haired man was sitting comfortably on her dining chairs and was also _comfortably _eating her pudding, while a silver-haired guy was rummaging through her refrigerator, shouting 'WHERE THE FUCK IS THE COOKED MEAT?!_'_

"Hey Haru-chan," Her attention was focused to the man before her, slightly surprised that he knew her name. "We just met and this seems crazy but we're QUARTET NIGHT and I'm just wondering if I may request you to write a song for us for the Saotome Academy's upcoming cultural festival?"

She blinked.

"_Eh_?"

And now that led her to this situation, where three guys were nagging her to step up her game. She wanted to rip her hair in frustration, these people were utterly stressful! She's been creating different songs for quite some time now and they all kept refusing them. And just when she thought she finally succeeded, they finally called her works as 'shitty'.  
She mentally shook her head.  
It's no good if she decided to give up just because of something this petty! If she was in another dimension where she works as a professional composer, she was undoubtedly sure that her work would be harder. She has no right to complain because if the singers didn't like the song, then it's probably the composers fault. But what she's wondering about is this: if they didn't want to sing for the concert in the first place why did they—

"We didn't volunteer for this shit." Ranamaru said, as if reading her mind. "Sorry for you, this isn't the alternate you're wishing you're in where we'll comply with you as soon as you give us the song. This is the real world, deal with it."

"It's that Scaramouch's fault for bringing us in this situation." Camus huffed, dramatically flipping his hair.

"But I know you guys want to help our _kouhais_!" The brunet said. The two cold males could only glare at him, effectively shutting him up.

"I have nothing against helping our underclassman." The cyan-haired male whispered softly, Haruka couldn't help but note how feminine and pretty his voice was. "However, it is the song itself I have a problem with."_Maybe not_.

"What's wrong?" Haruka asked desperately. "If you there's something you don't like, then please don't hesitate to—"

"I don't like everything." He answered flatly.

Haruka just stared at him; golden eyes were wide in shock as if this was the first time this happened to her. Reiji, who was starting to panic and was scared to death if she starts crying (_Kami-sama_ knows what Toki and Haya might do to him if he finds out!), decided to be honest but tried to make it sound as kind as possible.

"You see, Haru-chan…" He wrapped his arms around her small shoulders, whispering in his _onii-chan_ voice. "Our group, QUARTET NIGHT, has this… Um, how should I say put this properly? We… have this… _fierce _atmosphere or something; you'd expect us to sing some badass song and not this—"

"Piece of crap?" Ranmaru suggested.

"Monstrosity?" Camus begged to differ.

"—Jazzy kind of song, you know?" The brunet sweat-dropped, mentally cursing at the two heartless guys.

And just as he thought she was going to breakdown and cry, the rosette looked up from the keys and instead smiled at him. For no good reason, his heart started beating atrociously when he saw that innocent expression.

When Reiji found out that his beloved _kouhai _was dating someone, it was an understatement to say that he was overjoyed. He treated Otoya and Tokiya like his own brother, so to know that one of them is finally dating… Oh, how proud he was that they're finally entering the doors of adulthood! But when he found _who _Tokiya was dating, he was slightly… disappointed. She wasn't a beauty. Wait; don't get him wrong, he found Haruka as beautiful but not in a way that made her easy to notice. She wasn't like the other red-haired girl in their year who's appearance cannot be ignored when you see her (He found out later on that she's apparently friends with Haruka. Coincidence.), but it was more appropriate to say that she was… saintly beautiful, the kind of beauty you expect from an angel or something.

And now that he's talking with her face to face, he thought he was stupid for thinking that his beloved kouhai was superficial as to date someone for their looks. Haruka was more than that; she was some jewel that you rarely see these days. Reiji was slightly embittered at himself that it wasn't he who first saw her.

"It's very nice of you to comfort me, Kotobuki-senpai. However, I will not allow you to stoop so low as to sing a song that's not worthy of your time." She said, her eyes flaming with determination. All the other three couldn't help but look at her, amazed at her choice of words. "I'll make a song that fits to your liking. Please allow me to be greedy and please give me a little bit more time."

All of them were visibly shocked; they were in awe at her deep level of perseverance. Reiji looked at the expression on his friends' faces. Ai was blank at usual, but there was something in his eyes that was different. Ranmaru clicked his tongue as he turned away, annoyed at how persistent she was. While Camus had his eyes close, deep in thought. The brunet smiled inwardly, it'll be a matter of seconds before their walls crumble down and they finally give—

"Fuck this, okay fine!" Ranmaru shouted. "The latest song is nice. I like it. Happy?"

"…" Hesitantly, Camus joined. "It's… good. Even though it isn't my cup of tea, it's… good."

"According to my calculations, if you add other instrumentals to this song… this maybe the song that can beat Raging Academy's concert." Ai said.

Golden eyes slowly dilated in happiness, she gasped softly as she looked at her _senpais_ in gratitude.

"Don't cry." Ranmaru said through gritted teeth. "I fucking hate it when women cry."

The composer smiled cheerfully, her long lashes fluttering.

"I never planned to!" He was slightly taken aback. Before he could retort back, she started playing. Ranmaru groaned in disbelief and he sat down on the nearest chair. Reiji smiled in amusement and he sang the first thing that came up to his mind.

"_You're my life_!"

Surprising the heck out of his fellow QUARTET NIGHT members, Camus followed him up.

"_This untold words,"_

Ranmaru was in no mood to create a set of decent lyrics decided to repeat what the brunet sang.

"_You're my life_…" And he didn't try to sing it properly, too.

All eyes turned to Ai, who needed no one to tell him what to do.

"_I'll convey them to you_!" He finished with a beautiful vibrato.

Once the instrumental was done, Haruka finally stopped. She was so happy she was literally shaking, their self-proclaimed leader was about to ask her what's wrong when she exclaimed out of nowhere.

"We'll be able to finish this song today!"

There was a pregnant pause.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH?!"

.

.

.

.

It was about 6 in the evening when they finally finished their song. Tokiya numbly laid on his office chair, his voice was slightly hoarse due to all this singing. Believe it or not, and he wasn't boasting or anything, for a group of teens who don't have any plans to be professional entertainers or anything, the song they created was probably one of the best ones he has ever heard in his life. But really, who were they to blame, if it was his loving girlfriend who created the instrumental for the song then it was no doubt that it would be the best song ever!

In a matter of few minutes, QUARTET NIGHT as well as Haruka was finally out of the music room. All of them looked really tired, except for Haruka who looked even energetic than usual. When bluenet was about to pick her out, the young girl grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside the music room.

"Good bye senpai!" She waved behind her without even looking at them. "Thank you for working with me!"

"You could at least look at the person you're talking to!" A rough voice shouted.

Haruka stopped walking, she turned around and smiled.

"Don't worry, Kurosaki-senpai! On Cowhai's other series, you'll be working with me for quite some time so you don't have to worry!"

The silver-haired man turned away before storming off; however Tokiya caught his red cheeks before he left. Haruka waved at the remaining members and slowly, one by one, they went on their separate ways. With that, they entered the music room and she shut the door behind them.

"What was that about?" Tokiya asked.

"Oh." She blinked blankly. "Some self-advertisement our dear author is forcing me to do."

He stared at her, trying to understand what she just said. The rosette laughed, waving her hand dismissively.

"I need you to bring out Hayato." She requested.

The bluenet looked blank at first but without protest, Hayato was the one in-charge.

"I assume this is for the song?"

Haruka nodded.

Hayato looked at her deeply in the eyes, trying to get a reaction out of her but the only thing she was a head tilt, like a puppy that was trying to understand what her master was trying to do.

"Is something wrong, Hayato-kun?" She asked innocently.

He groaned in defeat, face palming.

"Why do you only call me when you need something?" Hayato pouted.

The rosette blinked multiple of times, before realizing what the young male was trying to point out.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Hayato-kun!" She stammered. "It's just that, I'm really inspired right now to create a song that I didn't realize that this might've sounded a bit sudden to you. It's not like I'm only talking to you when I need something! You know that I love you so much and-" She stopped, realizing that she uttered the 'l' word without even thinking. She turned as bright as her hair as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

It was amusing, how _he _was capable of turning Haruka stammer when usual she was so brave in front of Tokiya. He wondered, if he has a special place in her heard that Tokiya wasn't able to venture that he made her feel this way towards him. The bluenet sighed but he was smiling, playfully ruffling his hair.

"As expected from my beloved."

Haruka blushed, looking down at the floor. Hayato chuckled before pulling her towards the piano, softly pushing her on the bench so that she could seat on it.

"Let's finish the song, shall we?"

Her expression brightened when she realized that her boyfriend wasn't mad at him. She nodded and opened the piano's lid, she positioned her hand and was about to play when…

"But…"

She nearly fell of her chair. "But what?" She asked, trying not to sound a bit impatient.

"You need to give me a reward."

It took a moment before she could comprehend what the bluenet just uttered.

"Eh…?" Was the only thing she could say.

Realizing that he was starting to sound like a cliché pervert, he laughed awkwardly and started talking in high speed.

"A-a-after all," He covered his blushing face with his hands, trying to act cool even though his _tsundere_ act was already found out. "You don't see _the _Ichinose Hayato making an effort on doing something! You should be flattered that I'm spending so much of my time with you…" His voice became absolutely soft, to the point that you wouldn't have possibly heard him if you don't have such a keen sense of hearing. "So please… notice me too, from time to time."

It was silent for a few seconds, the bluenet noticed that he uttered _another _stupid line and was about to slam his face against the piano when Haruka trapped him in a tight embrace.

Blue eyes widened, his heart was beating fast as if he run through a marathon. His face was currently resting on her head and he could faintly smell the scent of her shampoo: strawberry. He mentally shook his head, cursing himself for being a pervert. He tried to think of something coherent to say but her smell was enough to make his brain go overload.

"Shall we go on a date?"

He blinked.

"_Shall we go on a date_?" She repeated.

"You have to be joking."

She shook her head, his cheek rubbing against her hair and Hayato was sure that this simple act was enough to make him hard.

"I'm not." She whispered, nuzzling her face on his chest. "This time, it would be called Date with Ichinose Hayato and Tokiya."

"_And _Tokiya?" He repeated.

"Of course." She frowned, looking up at him. "We shouldn't leave Tokiya out."

He pouted like a child; the rosette pulled away from him and teasingly poked his cheek.

"When?"

"After the cultural festival."

"_After_?!"

"… We shouldn't be dilly-dallying while everyone is stressing over it."

Hayato _hmphed._"Point taken." But it seemed like he wasn't convinced.

Haruka laughed, pecking him on the lips. He instantly stopped frowning instead it was replaced by shock and embarrassment.

"And until then," She returned back to the piano keys, obviously disappointing Hayato who seemed like he was waiting for something else. "Let's finish this song first."

Hesitantly, he nodded.

"Hey, Haruka."

The rosette sweat-dropped. "You really like interrupting me don't you?" But she was laughing.

"I…" He whispered. "I want to do it with you."

"'Do it with me'?" She repeated.

"_Ecchi_ things." He whispered.

Haruka literally fell down from the bench. Hayato abruptly stood up, helping her stand up. She slowly took it and he immediately noticed how cold his hands were, meaning he was so nervous before asking that question.

"I-I-I'm sorry for asking such a ridiculous question." It was amusing, how Hayato was turning different shades of red each time he spoke. It was getting darker and darker each time words escapes from his lips. "I'm getting too—"

"N-n-no." Haruka answered softly. "It's fine."

Blue eyes widened, his hands immediately tightened on the hand he was holding.

"You're okay with having sex with me?"

Shyly, she nodded.

"Oh my _fucking_ goodness." He said in disbelief, seeing his reaction almost made Haruka laugh. "When?"

"After the cultural festival?" She suggested.

"_After the date?"_

"Uh… Sure, why not?"

"Oh. Fuck. _Yes_."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Um, so. I'm still here. Hi.

I made some references that some people might not understand so I'll explain it.

1.) The breaking walls : This is a Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan reference. As you all know, Kaji Yuki voices Eren Jeager in that anime while he voices Kurusu Kaoru in the UTAPRI game. While Ono Daisuke voices Erwin/Ervin Smith, and Sumeragi Kira here.

2.) ***AOT Spoiler* **He lost an arm: Erwin had his arm devoured by a Titan. QN was making reference to that.

3.) Okay, I doubt anyone could've guessed this one and I think no one thought it was a joke in the first place. Ai's face is as full of emotions as a door: Aside from the fact that he's an AI and he doesn't understand what feelings are, that's not it. Aoi Shouta (Ai's voice actor/seiyuu) portrayed the MC in Persona 3 the Weird Masquerade, the stage play of the game Persona 3 Portable. Since the Persona series is a game where you can choose the name of your character and all of us are assholes and we want unity, we refer to the Mc as Door-kun.

Guys, I've always had this uploading problem where _my_words end up looking likes this. I try to change them with my utmost power but some manage to slip out of my eyesight so please point them out when you find more them. Thank you.


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note**: Oh my goodness, I accidentally posted the unedited version _ I apologize greatly!

* * *

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 27:

QUARTET NIGHT'S time to SHINE

_A few weeks ago…_

Nanami Haruka meekly waved, watching her lover turn into a mere dot as he gradually disappeared from her sight. Now that he was completely gone, her hands quietly fell to her sides and the smile that decorated her lips vanished along with him. She was currently alone, standing in front her apartment complex with a sad vacant look on her face. Fingers tugged the hem of her skirt; the gleeful feeling in her chest was replaced by an ever-so-deep sensation of sadness. It was weird, how she was used to walking alone by herself for 3 straight years and she never felt lonely. But just because Ichinose Tokiya started walking with her on her way home lately, she's been feeling forlorn whenever his warmth disappears from her side. It seemed like her years of walking alone was completely forgotten in a matter of a few months.

She turned around, the heels of her leather shoes hitting the asphalt ground. She walked towards the stairs and proceeded to climb it, making sure to get back to her apartment as soon as possible. Memories of what happened a few hours ago flooded her senses, each step became lighter and swifter as blood started to paint her pale cheeks. She shook her head, as if it would also rumble up her thoughts, but sadly it did her no benefit. Haruka wondered how she would sometimes gain this great boost of confidence in front of her boyfriend and suddenly end up saying some very _questionable _things. Once more, her very embarrassing lines echoed in her head.

_"Ichinose Tokiya!I love you so much to the point that just the mere thought of you makes my heart pound as if it's going to explode. Every time you're not with me, I wonder what you're doing and if you're doing fine. Whenever I see you smile, I can't help but smile back. But whenever I see you smile and it was directed to another girl, I feel this weird feeling in my chest as if I don't want you to do that again. Whenever you're around me, everything seems so much better. I feel so happy when I'm with you! Ichinose-san, I love you so much it hurts that I want to cry! I love you… I love you…I love you-!"_

The composer stopped, placing her weight on the stair railings. She lowered her head, silky red locks curtained her equally bright face as she bit her lips, trying her best not to allow any tears to flow.

_That was so embarrassing!_ She wailed mentally, her legs lost its strength and she fell to her knees._"I can't believe I said that!"_She said, this time out-loud._"_What am I? Some cliché romantic comedy protagonist?! _Ugh!" _She threw her hands up, planting her face on the stairs_. "Thatwasembarrassing. Thatwasembarrassing. Thatwas—"_

_"_Haruka dear?" A soft elderly voice called out, the rosette turned to her right and saw a kind old lady peeking out of her apartment door, looking worried. "Are you alright? You sounded as if you were chanting some ancient curse…"

She blushed once more, but for a different reason. "O-oh, I'm alright, Atsuko-baachan." She scratched the back of her head, laughing nervously. "I… I wasn't chanting some curse or anything like that. I'm sorry if I was being loud…"

Atsuko-baachan shook her head, as if saying 'It's alright', before disappearing inside her apartment.

Now that she was all alone, the rosette gathered her bearings and stood up. She quickly dashed towards her apartment floor, making sure no one could see her making a fool of herself once again. Finally, she arrived in front of her door steps, her face flushed due to all that climbing and running as well as the debilitating shame towards her whole existence. She huffed greedily, taking as much oxygen as possible as she calmed herself. Trails of sweat ran down from her face to her throat, she took a floral printed handkerchief from her school bag and proceeded to dry her skin from her perspiration. Now that she has fully calmed herself, she took one last deep breath before starting her home ritual.

"I'm back."

She greeted softly, entering her apartment like how she usually does.

You might think it was weird, why she would always say 'I'm back' whenever she gets home even though there was no one waiting for her. Maybe you could say it was instinct, since she was used to going back from school during her younger years in school and her grandma used to greet her back and now she just couldn't stop herself from breaking that daily pattern. Or maybe you could say she's just '_forever alone_', which seemed more like it and that's why she's still doing it. Either way, she waited for the never-changing silence of the apartment, as if it was its very own version of a 'greeting'.

"Welcome back, Haru-chan~!"

Golden eyes widened, slender fingers stopped mid-way from taking off those pair of leather shoes from her feet. She blinked a couple of times, wondering if it was her imagination that a voice (specifically somewhere in the living room) greeted her back. Was her confession too much for her pure soul that it also affected her mind? Or maybe it was because she shook her head a while ago and it was far _more _effective than she thought and accidentally racked up her brain?! Surely, that's not it. That'd be too sad of an ending for our heroine Nanami Haruka.

Haruka took a deep sigh, massaging her temples. Was her confession just _too much_ for her that her judgement and reasoning became _this _impaired? Once more, she took a deep breath and headed out of the apartment, exactly retracing her steps. She sighed in front of the door, turning the knob before pushing it open.

"I'm back." She greeted, but this time with less energy.

"What the hell is wrong with this woman?!" A deep husky voice shouted, surprising the daylights out of Haruka. Long lashes fluttered, a soft gasp escaped from her lips. Thin eyebrows furrowed, trying to analyze whether she heard that voice before but even with her musician ears, this person's voice doesn't seem like it belongs to anyone she personally knows. She was pretty sure she doesn't have any acquaintance who sounds like a _screamo_ rock star, or who _is_one, for that matter. However, his voice _somehow_sounded familiar but she doesn't know why.

Before she could say '_Who's there_?' like any stupid person in a horror movie, someone spoke.

"… I have never encountered someone who announces their presence twice in a row." Someone commented. Eyes dilated in horror, '_There's another intruder?!'_ This time, the voice sounded… feminine. It was soft and gentle, the polar opposite of the voice who spoke before him. Or _her_. Haruka doesn't know for sure. But because the intruder used the pronoun '_boku_' for his '_I'_, there's a higher chance for this person to be a male. She guessed that this person probably has an angelic singing voice, capable of hitting high notes like a female's voice range however has a hard time trying to reach deep pitches that's supposed to be a norm for males.

Much to her surprise, in a matter of a minute and a half since she went inside her apartment, she made a conclusion that there are at least two people inside, and she vaguely recognizes their voices. Now that she realized it, the first voice that greeted her doesn't sound similar to the rock star voice as well as the womanly voice. So there were at least three people who barged inside her place without permission.

"Camus," The feminine voice seemed to be talking to someone, Haruka noted that this person has an odd name and was most likely a foreigner. As racist as it may sound, "Is this a common courtesy in other countries?"

"Not that I am aware of." If she thought that Mr. Rock Star voice was the polar opposite to Mr. Angel's voice, then she was very, _very_wrong. This Camus person had a total 180 degrees difference with Angel's voice! "In my country, the kingdom of Permafrost, we do not announce our presence when we arrive at our home. We simply enter."

The rosette would be lying if she told you Camus's voice didn't make an impact to her. It was such an amazing baritone. It reminded her of Jinguuji Ren's voice: deep and smooth. But instead of a flirtatious streak, it was ice cold instead. But it wasn't a bad thing, his sub-zero voice made him sound mysterious and sexy. His voice reminded her of an instrument, a stringed-instrument to be precise. Something like a cello, deep and elegant at the same time.

Haruka blinked, trying to gather her wits together and stopping herself from acting like a creepy voice connoisseur of some sort. She leaned her back on the surface of her door, creating a soft 'thud' sound. She shook her head, telling herself that it must be due to exhaustion that's why she's hearing voices and she better get something to drink to calm her mind that's probably overheating right now.

But as soon as she reached the living room's premises, her sight was blinded by a tall figure. Before she could even comprehend what was going on, she felt two strong arms wrapped around her waist and was trapped in a very tight embrace. She blinked a couple of times, thinking '_Am I getting assaulted_?' as she struggled to breathe. Not too long after that, she felt the hard ground (she didn't even notice that she was off of her feet) and was released. She was overwhelmed by the sudden gush of oxygen, getting slightly dizzy as she tried to focus her attention on the tall (well, technically he wasn't _that_tall but due to the undying fact that most humans are taller than her, she'll say that he is) being in front of her. It took her a moment before she realized that it was a man, a brown-haired man who was smiling so eagerly as if he was waiting for this moment all his life. Behind him, specifically on her living room, was a cyan-haired man who was busy reading through some books at high speed while lounging on the soft comfortable furniture. On the right side of her apartment (which was the dining room and kitchen), she noticed two men making themselves at home. A man with long blond-hair was sitting on her dining chair while—

"Wait, are you eating _my_ pudding?!" Haruka demanded, her voice resounding at the small space which she formally calls her apartment. The noble-looking man paid her no mind, instead he gracefully took a sip of his cup of tea, and Haruka was highly sure that was her own stock of high quality tea leaves. She furrowed her eyebrows and was about to reprimand him when—

"WHERE THE FUCK IS THE COOKED MEAT?!" Standing in front of her refrigerator, a man with silver demanded. He was the source of that scratchy voice, and his appearance did not disappoint. Not because she was stereotyping or anything or that sort but because he really _does_look like an orthodox rock star. Before she could even bother ask why he was looking for cooked meat inside the _freezer_, the brown-haired man called for her attention.

"Hey Haru-chan," Much to Haruka's surprise, the man _knew_her name. "We just met and this seems crazy but we're QUARTET NIGHT and I'm just wondering if I may request you to write a song for us for the Saotome Academy's upcoming cultural festival?"

She blinked.

"_Eh_?"

.

.

.

"QUARTET NIGHT…" The rosette muttered under her breath, scanning their familiar faces and finally remembering where she met them. "As I recalled, you were part of the student council back when we were still freshmen. That's why your voices sounded familiar." She added as an after-thought and realized a little too late that she might have sounded a little too weird but good thing the quartet did not seem to pay her any mind.

Almost all of them were at the living room, the group of older classmen completely taking up the space on the sofa while Haruka stood in front of the table that was also just ahead of the sofa. Kotobuki Reiji smiled cheerfully at her, waiting for the inevitable talk about the song. Kurosaki Ranmaru clicked his tongue, turning away. He looked really uncomfortable with the extreme skin closure he had as he sat between the two other members. Mikaze Ai closed the book he was holding shut, looking the least bit interested on what's going on. While Camus was left at the dining room, drinking his cup of tea, nibbling on the blueberry cheesecake she served him every now and so often. Thank God the blond haired man decided to stay there because she wouldn't be able to stop herself from laughing if she saw the four 'cool'_senpai_s forcibly sandwiching themselves in a relatively small sofa. Haruka took a deep breath, thanking Kami-sama that it turns out they were people that she knew, no matter how minimalistic her relationship with them were. But more importantly…

"First of all," Haruka tried to talk as calm as possible, but her posture said so otherwise. Her hands were on her hips, her eyebrows were furrowed and a nerve was angrily showing itself on her temple. "How did you get inside my apartment? You _do_know that this is trespassing?"

They all looked shocked, as if this wasn't the first thing they were expecting to hear from her. Well surely they wouldn't after all; it was _her_house that was invaded and not theirs. That's what _all_great conquerors in history thought when they randomly seized for their own benefit, completely ignoring the feelings of their hostages.

"The land lady let us in." Ranmaru answered, leaning on the edge of the sofa.

Haruka stared at him for at least a second or two before it finally sunk in to her mind what he just said.

"What?"

"It's exactly as he said." Camus answered in the dining room. Thankfully, he was listening to their conversation and he wasn't too preoccupied with his food.

"We were merely standing in front of your apartment complex when she greeted us and asked what we were doing there." Ai followed up. "We asked if you were around and she told us you were still at school."

"… And when we said that we'll wait outside until you return, she gave us your spare key and insisted that we go to your apartment because 'charming boys like us shouldn't wait outside.'" Reiji continued, he looked as if this normally happens to people. Or well, at least to _QUARTET NIGHT_.

She buried her face on the palm of her hands, silently cursing her middle-aged land lady for being so weak to young handsome men. She promised herself to immediately talk to the land owner about this and settle things. As she recalled, this wasn't the first time this happened. During the incident she got sick and Tokiya brought her back, for some reason she found herself inside of her room and she doubted that the man would even _dare_rummage her things just to get her keys so he most probably asked the landowner to give him the spare key.

"So," She shook her head, returning to her former posture. "Why did you decide to ask me to compose for you?"

They looked at one another, as if they were all preparing for this moment.

"Because we don't know anyone else to ask." They said in unison.

'_I figured as much_.' She sighed.

"I heard you were the one in-charge of creating a song for STARISH." The cyan-haired man hummed. "If our _kouhais_ placed enough faith in you that you're capable of making a great song enough to beat HEAVENS, don't you think we should, too?"

Haruka felt blood creeping through her cheeks.

"And I heard you're Tokki's girlfriend." Reiji grinned. "It puts us at ease that we'll have a higher chance of you accepting our request~! After all, we _did_take care of him during our stay in Saotome!"

She sweat-dropped. "That's a bit manipulative of you, Kotobuki-senpai." She pointed out. "And don't worry, I'll accept your request regardless of your relations to Ichinose-san or STARISH, for that matter, as long as your participation in the cultural festival heightens our chances on beating the other group."

"Now you're just making it sound as if _we're_the instrument in your great plan." The brunet joked.

"_T-t-that's not it_!" She stuttered.

"Wait a minute." All eyes turned to the silver-haired man, who was pointing an accusing finger towards the rosette. "_She's_Ichinose's girlfriend? This _midget_?"

Haruka looked down, gripping the hems of her skirt. By now, you could say that she's used to getting that reaction whenever people find out that she's dating _the_Ichinose Tokiya. However, that doesn't change the fact that she still gets offended at their tone and gestures. '_Why does he sound so against it?_!' She thought. '_Is there something about me that screams 'UNACCEPTABLE' for Ichinose-san_?' Ranmaru quickly noticed the change in her demeanor, he blushed and proceeded to explain himself. "_I-I-I mean,_ I expected the person who manages to control both his personalities to look like an Amazoness or something, you know! He's too fucked up, especially when Hayato comes around!"

"Oh." That was all Haruka could say, shocked that the mean-looking senpai made the effort to clear things up and to _blush_while he was at it. "Wait," She noticed something. "You are aware about Ichinose-san's _other_personality?"

They all gave her a weird look.

"Is there a reason for us _not_to know about it?" Camus looked quizzical, as if the others could even see his expression, thinking her question itself was odd.

"N-n-not really." She used her hand for emphasis, blushing slightly. "I just thought only STARISH, his family, and I are the few people who knew about it."

"Well, you can just say we're part of the _other_few people who knows about it." Reiji laughed, resting his back on the sofa. "We learned about it from the Ichinose tycoon himself, saying that he would pay us any amount just to cover up any damage Hayato did. But we decline his offer, money or not, it was our job to take care of the students and make sure that no ill rumors managed to reach the outside world. And we did as much until we graduated. I'm pretty sure he did the same thing to the student council members that followed us…"

"He really is meticulous." Haruka sweat dropped. "We were willing to _pay_you so that his well-known persona won't be tarnished by Hayato's wrong-doings. Such a cold man."

"But honestly," The silver-haired man scratched his nape, scowling. "Uncle Hajime looked quite sincere when he went to the Student Council Room just to say that. If only his words weren't as business-like as his expression, people would've never misinterpreted him as a villain."

"_Uncle_?" The rosette repeated. "Do you know Ichinose's father personally?"

Ranmaru turned away, gritting his teeth as if he doesn't want to talk about it. Reiji laughed nervously and decided to catch the conversation for him.

"Ran-Ran, Masa, Ren-Ren, and Tokki are childhood friends."

Since he mentioned the top three richest students in Saotome Academy, Haruka immediately realized what he meant. Trying her best not to make a surprised face that could possibly offend the rock star, she kept a blank face. But it seemed like Ranmaru was used to the judgmental looks whenever people find out that he's childhood friends with the trio, he just shrugged it off and explained for himself.

"My family used to be rich ass like the Ichinoses, so you could say that we're family friends or something. And then shit happened and my father died." The room became dead silent but the look on the other members of QUARTET NIGHT said that they've heard this story a hundred of times before to the point it doesn't bother them anymore. But of course, it's different with Haruka's case. She also wasn't a cold-hearted witch to accept his past story without feeling slight pity towards him. "But even after that, Uncle Hajime was still in-contact with us and he helped us our family back to our feet. You could say that I owe a lot to that man so I made sure to keep my word about Hayato. And well, Hayato _is_my friend and he was one of the few people who treated us like they did before even if our company was gone so… yeah."

"You make it sound as if the Ichinose head was some nice person." The composer looked at him in disbelief.

"But he _is_." Ranmaru emphasized. "Anyway," He said, shaking his head. "Back to the topic, are you going to compose for us or not?"

"I will." She nodded. "But I'm still at the process of creating STARISH's songs so if it's alright for you, can you wait until I finish it?"

Somehow, they all look disappointed by her answer but they nodded anyway.

"Kouhai-chan," Reiji took out his phone. "Can we exchange numbers? So you know, you can just give me a call when you're ready?"

She nodded. And so they did.

"Well, this is anti-climactic." Ai said. The other three nodded again. Haruka could only laugh nervously, apologizing for breaking their high expectations towards this meeting.

Now that they've finished their purpose, it was time for them to leave ('_But I have yet to finish my—'_Camus protested. '_No, Myu-chan._No._'_Reiji said firmly._)._They were decent enough to bid their farewell and one by one, they left the small apartment, making her place less little and less suffocating. Just as Ranmaru was about to disappear outside her door, Haruka shouted.

"Kurosaki-senpai?"

The tall silver-haired man halted from walking and turned around. Unexpectedly, when he faced her, he was _smiling_.

"I know." He whispered in a low voice. "You were going to ask about _that_."

Nervously, she nodded.

.

.

.

Camus was being more of a tyrant than a noble after they forced him to leave Haruka's house before finishing his cake, and in order to calm his nerves down Reiji brought all of them to a nice (and rather _expensive_) restaurant nearby (_'Geez, you're leaving holes to my wallet!')_. All of them were casually sitting on their own seats, waiting for their orders to arrive when the brunet's phone suddenly rang.

"Oh, guys, look. Kouhai-chan texted me!"

No one bothered to look at him, they all minded their own business and acted as if they didn't even hear him. Just like any other QUARTET NIGHT reaction. But Reiji didn't seem to mind, instead he focused all of his attention to the screen of his phone. Once he finished reading, the lightness in his face completely morphed to utter blankness.

"It's a text for Ran-Ran."

The two other members stopped from whatever they were doing. Mechanically, light colored eyes turned to the brunet who had equally shell-shocked expression as they had. If looks could kill, he would've died two times. Ranmaru didn't say anything, acting as if he isn't aware of what's obviously going on.

"She said to tell you," Reiji stopped for a moment, looking puzzled at the two-worded message. "_'Thank you_'."

"Thank you for what?" Ai, who usually a man who doesn't give two shits about his groupmate's activities, couldn't help but inquire. After all, he was a man of curiosity. As far as he was concerned, he avoids women like a plague so to hear a woman thank him (and that woman was Ichinose Tokiya's girlfriend, nonetheless) really was an interesting find.

"'_Thank you for telling me_…" He continued reading. The silver-haired man tensed up from his seat but thankfully, Reiji stopped.

"Telling her what?" Camus, who was in a far better mood because his cake finally arrived, asked. Maybe he was such in a good mood to even give a fuck about his arch-nemesis' doings that he even bothered to ask, no one knows for sure.

Reiji shook his head. "She didn't specify. The message ended there."

All eyes turned to Ranmaru, as if he was a merciless man who kicked an innocent puppy. He scoffed and turned away, digging in his steak that just arrived.

"I did notice he was the last one to leave the apartment." Camus noted. "It took him a while before he finally left."

"They probably talked about something in private." The brunet mused.

Ai and Camus gave him a look that you can interpret as '_Isn't that obvious_?'

"I wonder what it was about…" Ai hummed, looking very intrigued.

"It's none of your business." Ranmaru shouted, slamming his fist on the table, making the silverware clatter noisily. "It's something _between the two of us_."

And with that, the conversation ended and no one bothered to probe the topic any further. And Ranmaru thanked God that they didn't, for it was such a private matter that he can't openly talk about. For once, he was glad that his group mates were cold and serious bastards.


	28. Chapter 28

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 28

IndepENDencE Day

The sound of loud enthusiastic gasps resonated in the music room. High-quality fabrics rustled together as each student excitedly took their own costumes from its respective hangers, inducing another moan of admiration as they realized that the clothes they were about to wear for the cultural festival were far more impressive than what they expected, to the point of looking like a genuine idol group rather than just students who have above average looks and talents and are coincidentally part of the Saotome Academy's student council.

"Wow, Nanami!" Running his fingers through the cotton fibers of his vest, Kurusu Syo outspokenly stated his appreciation for their costumes. "This is one heck of a style-coordination you got here! I think it's nice how panache it looks, yet it looks like a uniform so it still reminds the people that STARISH are respectable members of the student council." To those who may not know Syo in a personal-level, it might've sounded weird and 'out-of-character' hearing this from the blond shorty but then again his mother is a famous celebrity stylist, you can say that he inherited her knowledge of good style. No wonder he was the most stylish member of STARISH.

"It's not like I was the one who designed them." Nanami Haruka blushed, fumbling the hems of her skirt. "I merely instructed a friend of mine to tailor you your outfits, that's all."

"Well then, tell your friend she did a great job!" They all laughed whole-heartedly, except for her boyfriend, Ichinose Tokiya. Instead he gave her a worrisome look, as if saying 'why did you approach her?' She doesn't know if the other members of STARISH noticed their silent exchange, even if they did they weren't saying anything.

As Syo had described, their costumes were very stylish however they also looked very formal. Each member has their very own distinct design and character color to fit their personalities but they all share the same ensemble: a blazer that has the Saotome crest, a dress shirt, a neck tie (except for Syo who had a ribbon instead, and Ren who did not wear any to maintain his suave look), and white trouser pants (except for, once again, Syo, who wore brown shorts). Haruka painfully emphasized to her friend that 'their clothes shouldn't make them look like singing and dancing idiots' (it's your cue to think of HAYATO) but 'reserved yet talented students who are merely showing their prowess in singing and dancing.' Normal people wouldn't have understood her description but because her friend was Shibuya Tomochika, no fashion statement was difficult for her to put to life.

"Time goes by so fast~!" Kotobuki Reiji yawned, stretching his arms. "It seemed like it was just yesterday when we finished our song… It doesn't feel like the cultural festival will occur tomorrow."

The heartfelt excitement of seeing their costumes were replaced by a nerve-wrecking tension because of what was about to come tomorrow. On cue, the three other members of QUARTET NIGHT hit their quasi-leader's head for completely ruining the mood.

Indeed, it seemed like it was just yesterday that Raging Academy challenged them to a duel. A lot of things happened since then. Both STARISH and QUARTET NIGHT had completed adding the lyrics to their respective songs. Syo (whose mother had an influence in the show business as aforementioned) contacted a professional music instructor to help them with the dance choreography. They consistently practiced singing and dancing at the same time (which is a feat that's harder than expected) until they fully mastered everything. If it was possible, the group's bond became even stronger. And you could also say the same thing for the Ichinoses and Haruka's relationship.

"Well then," Ittoki Otoya beamed cheerfully. "Now that we've gotten our clothes for tomorrow, let's—"

"Do our job as student council members and make sure that each stall followed our guidelines." Tokiya interrupted.

"Ehhhhh?" Otoya pouted. "I thought you guys were about to rest?"

"Our instructor _did _advise us not to practice on the day before the performance." Shinomiya Natsuki joined in.

"Due to the fear of over-practicing and we may became somehow mechanical on the said performance." Hijirikawa Masato nodded.

"But we aren't practicing right now, right?" The bluenet pointed out. "Shall we use our spare time to be productive and ensure the success of this year's cultural festival?"

They all groaned in defeat, no use stopping their 'leader' once he's into doing something. However, they were very hesitant to move from their places and decided to stay on-put on the place where they are standing, eliciting an eye roll from their president.

"I agree." Mikaze Ai nodded. "You must do your job properly and check each stall manually to prevent some… very disturbing occurrences."

"Like?" Aijima Cecil asked.

"Remember the Yoshiwara* Incident?" Kurosaki Ranmaru laughed huskily. Upon hearing its name, the blond companion of their group tensed up.

"That was no laughing matter." Camus coughed, turning away. "It was one of the events in Saotome Academy that reminds us to _always_ check each stall deliberately in each cultural festival."

The three other members of QUARTET NIGHT nodded in unison, while STARISH looked baffled. Except for one.

"Oh, I remember now," Jinguuji Ren chuckled. "_Yoshiwara _was the red-light district in the Edo-period. It was called the Yoshiwara Incident because—"

"Enough chit-chat." Their president coughed, a blush evident on his cheeks. It seemed like he also knew about what this 'incident' is all about, while the other members of STARISH were notably clueless. "Let's start checking each stall, shall we? Remember this, there should not be any inappropriate designs that may offend other people or may seem harmful to children. Check if each store has any backdoor that may lead to the _black market _that we all have been tracking for years. Nothing should hinder the pathway of the visitors. Ensure that the School mascot costume doesn't have any defects. And…"

The next set of words that escaped from Tokiya's lips seemed to bounce out of her ears. Haruka could only watch from the sidelines as they resumed their work, as if an imaginary wall of glass was separating her from their world. Sometimes, she still asks herself how she found herself in this place and how she managed to adapt this quickly to be surrounded by such amazing people. But then again, will questioning about it ever solve anything? She shook her head, deciding not to worry about the past, or what the future has in store, but just cherish what she has in the present.

"We'll be going now." Reiji said, announcing the departure of his group.

They all turned to face their upperclassmen and bowed politely. "Thank you for all your hard work!"

The brunet waved. "See you guys tomorrow! Let's show Saotome Academy the greatest performance they'll ever see!"

STARISH nodded with determination.

Soon, the quartet left, not leaving any trace that they were even present in the first place. Now that she's the only one who has no relations to the student council in the room, she decided it would be best for her to leave as well…

"Haruka?" Tokiya called out.

The rosette blushed, even her ears became red. Somehow, even though they've been calling each other with the first-name basis for a while already, it doesn't stop that warm fuzzy feeling from enveloping her chest whenever she hears him carefully pronouncing the syllables of her name.

"Yes, Tokiya-kun?" She replied softly.

"If it's not too much of a burden to you," He blushed, looking down at the floor to hide his embarrassment. The members of STARISH looked at them, amused. "Will you… please wait for me until I finish my student council work?"

Haruka opened her mouth to answer.

"_Absolutely not_!"

The couple blinked. They turned around only to see the looks of disapproval from their friends' faces.

"Why would you make a lady wait?" Masato crossed his arms, shaking his head in disappointment. "Furthermore," he added, "we will most probably end up patrolling for 3 hours, knowing the size of this school and how meticulous we should be to check each nook and cranny of each stall. You absolutely _cannot _make a girl wait that long."

The rosette laughed nervously, sweat-dropping. _STARISH and their gentlemanly principles._" I don't mind." She said politely. "It's not—"

"You're right." Tokiya mumbled, rubbing his chin as if he has an imaginary beard. He abruptly turned around to face her, making her jump in surprise. "Haruka, I apologize for asking you such a stupid question. How about let's meet up later? I need to tell you something very important."

"Where do you want to meet?" She asked.

"Any where's fine. Where do _you_ suggest?" He returned the question back to her.

"Um…" She bit her lips, thinking carefully. Unknown to her, Tokiya found her small gestures as endearing. "_Oh_! How about that dainty music store just around the corner?"

Tokiya raised an eyebrow, He might have thought it was an odd place to meet up. "I see." He agreed hesitantly. "I'll text you when we're almost done."

The rosette hummed in reply. "But may I ask, Tokiya-kun." The rosette couldn't help but inquire. "What is it that you want to tell me?"

His blue eyes widened for a moment, but almost immediately it softened like melted wax. Out of nowhere, he leaned closer towards her and a soft gasp escaped from the rosette's lips. This has happened a lot of times, but whenever it did her heart still can't stop but race dramatically. She closed her eyes, waiting patiently to feel his soft lips against her. But much to her shock, she felt his warm breath tickling her ears. She opened up her eyes, seeing Tokiya smirking at her as if this was how he expected her to react. Haruka could only pout, her cheeks blushing crimson. But before she could say anything, he kissed the shell of her ear and breathed heavily.

"_It's a secret_."

Admittedly, this was even better than a kiss.

.

.

.

The music store. _Oh_, the music store. Haruka has been meaning to venture there since she first arrived in Tokyo. But sadly, she never had the chance to do it since she never really had a _reason _to do it. So when Tokiya agreed for this place to be their meet up, to say that she was ecstatic was an understatement. She was _so_ euphoric that she found herself heading straight towards the music store after they bid their farewell to each other.

… And now she realized a bit too late that she was 2 and a half hours too early.

_Ma ii ka, _she shook her head as she entered the small but comfortable shop's premises. "It doesn't matter."

"Welcome."

She was greeted by two people at the counter: a woman with reddish-brown hair tied to a ponytail and a man with emo-styled midnight blue hair. They looked like they were in their mid-20s but she could be wrong since she wasn't a fair judge on guessing how old a person looks. It might be weird to say this but Haruka assumed that they were _twins_, maybe because they were wearing similar outfits and they both had matching headphones hanging on their shoulders. And they seemed to share the same… _aura_? Haruka can't explain it but when she first entered she felt the presence of a single person but much to her surprise, two people greeted her. It wasn't because _one_'s presence was more noticeable so it shadowed the others, but it was exactly as what Haruka said: they shared the same aura so it felt as if they were just one person.

She didn't make sense, did she?

"So what brings you here, miss?" The woman with the brown hair asked cheerfully.

Haruka blushed, avoiding her gaze. "N-n-nothing in particular." She stuttered. _For some reason… It feels like this happened before._

"Is that so?" She smiled kindly, it was that kind of smile that made your heart melt even if you're not attracted to the same gender. "Please do enjoy your—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the bluenet next to her animatedly hit her head. Golden eyes widened, shocked at the violence shown in front of her. The brunette turned to face him and fumed angrily.

"What was that for, you basta—"

The bluenet shove his hand on her face, effectively silencing her.

"Watch your mouth, we have a customer." He said with a monotonous voice. He then looked at Haruka and smiled tiredly, but it was a rather charming smile and she felt bad for feeling this way towards a man that wasn't Tokiya. "I apologize if she was making you uncomfortable. She has that… _effect_ on other people."

The young composer nodded timidly, her cheeks were slightly pink. It amuses her how lately she's been talking to rather abnormally attractive people.

"The same goes for you." The red-haired cashier crossed her arms and pouted.

Haruka decided to let the cashier duo enjoy their bantering and proceeded to mind her business as she walked around the beautifully crafted musical instruments. Much to her delight, they had many types of instruments. Each instrument was lined up according to their instrument types: percussions, aerophones, chordophones, and electrophones. Near the counter, there was a shelf where both classical and traditional music books were placed. They also sell strings, guitar picks, and all sorts of things needed in order to enjoy playing your instrument to its maximum capacities. This place surely was handy. Sadly, she was not here to buy anything.

And then something caught her eye.

"_I knew it!"_Haruka nearly jumped out of her skin. The brown-haired cashier appeared behind her out of nowhere. "You were that girl from _that_ time!"

The rosette blinked.

"Excuse me?"

The brunette grabbed Haruka's hand and peered closer to her face, she could only sweat-drop on the odd sequence of events. "It is you!" She declared. "How could I forget that bright orange-red hair and that yellow cat-like eyes! There's no mistake that it _is_ you!"

"Um…" The rosette uncomfortably separated her hand from hers, looking away. "I beg your pardon but I've never been to this place before and this is the first time I've met you so I doubt that we've met before."

"No!" She insisted. "Don't you remember? You were with that messy brown-haired boy—"

"_Hamuko_." A distant voice said. "You might've forgotten where we are right now."

This 'Hamuko' girl rashly looked at her partner, clenching her first. "Minato, you don't understand! She was the girl who warned me—" She looked at Haruka and was about to smile, but then she saw the frightened look on her face and stopped. "_O-O-Oh_." Hamuko looked as if it finally came to her, finally understanding the situation. "I apologize, I think you're right. I might've mistaken you for someone else. _Hahaha…_hah."

The rosette furrowed her eyebrows but could only accept her apology.

"To compensate for causing you any discomfort," she bowed politely, "my friend here will play a song for you!"

"_What_." He slammed his fist on the table; it was more of a demand rather than a question. "You're the one creeping our customers off why should I—"

"Come on now, Minato!" She chided. "When was the last time you played the piano? I think you should show off your skills!" Hamuko then smiled at Haruka. "You might not know it, but Minato used to be the best pianist in our Music club back in high school!"

"I'm no—" Minato rolled his eyes and denied such a thing but was stopped when the rosette spoke excitedly.

"Is that so?" Haruka's eyes glittered in interest. "If I may ask, from what school did you graduate?"

The two odd duo shared a nostalgic look before answering her.

"Gekkoukan High School."

The rosette tilted her head, trying to recall such a school in Tokyo but failed.

"Oh, it's not a school in Tokyo." Hamuko laughed. "It's a school in Tatsumi Island, you know, that artificial island near the coast of Tokyo?"

"Oh." She nodded. "Yes, I do know that place."

"Judging by your uniform…" The brunette scrutinized her from head to foot. "I say you're a student from Saotome Academy? No wonder you're not familiar with bumpkins like us! You're from the elite!"

Haruka could only smile shyly, never even considering herself as part of the elite, not even until now.

"Do you want me to play or not?" Sadly, their chitchat was placed to a halt for Minato was getting slightly impatient.

The rosette blushed and made a gesture. "Please do."

Trying his best not to be snarky as possible, Minato walked towards the old grand piano that was placed on the far edge of the small shop. It was the thing that caught her eyes, how old it seemed and yet it felt as if it was well taken care off. Judging by its faded look, it was about at least 20 years old. However, even though it was old there was no sign of any dust particle or even the slightest speck of abandonment on the instrument. The bluenet opened the lid of the piano, creating a funny creaking sound.

_Yup_. Haruka nodded to herself. _It was old, indeed_.

"I knew you were looking at Sekai-chan with such intent." Hamuko nudged her teasingly.

"_Sekai-chan_?" She repeated.

"The name of the piano." She explained.

"The _world-chan_?" Haruka translated to English.

"Because that piano seemed like the world to the person who owned it!" The brunette giggled.

"And that is?"

"Bunkichi-san," Hamuko answered with a sad voice. "My father."

Minato coughed loudly, catching their attention. They both sweat-dropped and made a sign to continue. The bluenet made one last irritated sigh before he started playing. Minato's hands moved around the keys as if he was having a graceful waltz with it. The sound of his serene melodies resounded across the room, trapping them in a dream-like state as if the world revolves around them, and only for them. Haruka closed her eyes, allowing herself to be enveloped by such a heartfelt way of playing. Beside her, she heard Hamuko took a deep intake of breath. She was about to ask her what was wrong when she started to sing.

_Kaze no koe hikari no tsubu madoromu kimi ni sosogu_ (The voice of the wind sheds drops of light onto you as you doze off)

_Wasurenai yasashii hohoemi kanashisa ni kakushita hitomi wo_ (I won't forget your kind smile or your eyes hidden with sorrow)

_Negau koto (tsurakutemo) tachimukau yuuki kimi ni moratta yo dakara yuku ne_ (Even though it hurts (to make a wish), I received the courage to fight from you, so I will go)

_Yume no naka (mezametara) mata aeru yo_ (If I awaken (from a dream), I'll be able to see you again)

_Tooi kioku mune ni hime utau_ (I will hide my distant memories in my breast and sing)

_Hakanaku tayutau sekai wo kimi no te demamotta kara_ (Because you protected this ephemerally floating world by your own hand)

_Ima ha tad tsubasa wo atande yukkuri nemuri nasai_ (Now simply fold your wings and sleep restfully)

_Eien no yasuragi ni tsutsumarete love through all eternity_ (Be wrapped up in an eternal tranquility, and love through all eternity)

_Yasashiku mimamoru watashi no kono te de nemuri nasai_ (Sleep, by this hand of mine that gently watches over you)

_Waratteta naiteta okotteta kimi no koto oboete iru_ (I remember you laughing, you crying, you angry)

_Wasurenai itsumademo kesshite until my life is exhausted_ (I will never forget for all time until my life is exhausted)

The song ended with a sweet but bitter aftertaste. And against her will, Haruka felt a tear trickle down her cheek.

"T-t-that song…" She couldn't stop herself, but tears kept flowing down from her eyes like an open faucet. "It's so beautiful!"

Minato nodded in silence while Hamuko chuckled.

"I'm glad you liked it!" It was evident that she was also tearing up. "This song has a special place in our hearts so I'm really happy that you liked it!"

"Forgive me if I'm wrong but…" The rosette hesitated.

Hamuko urged her to continue.

"Is the song about someone… dying and yet promising to see each other after death?"

The opposing color remained silent. Surprisingly, it was Minato who spoke first.

"You could say that." He shrugged.

"But we'd rather prefer if you say, 'ending one's journey." Hamuko corrected light-heartedly. But almost immediately, her voice lowered and turned cryptic. "And we can say that yours is ending quite soon."

"What do you mean?" Haruka asked hesitantly, her words sent shivers down her spine.

The brunette shook her head. "It's not important." She said. Hamuko then looked at her fellow cashier. "We should go soon, Minato. I sense someone heading here."

Without a word, he stood up from the piano bench and headed towards the employees' room from behind the counter. Hamuko was about to follow him when the rosette stopped her.

"Wait, Hamuko-san." She grabbed the other girl's hand. "What do you mean by my journey is ending soon?"

"It means just like what it sounds." She answered. "I must go, dear customer. My time is up."

"Wait," Haruka was getting desperate, "what about the shop? You just can't leave me—"

"The owners will arrive soon." Without even removing her hands, Hamuko managed to slip her hand out of hers. No, it was more like Haruka's hands seemed like she was trying to hold _air_: something not physically present.

"Oh and before I leave," The brunette leaned closer and whispered to her ear. "_Orpheus."_

With one last smile, that kind of smile that will make anyone's heart flutter, Hamuko waved goodbye before disappearing inside the employee's room.

And exactly as Hamuko said, someone arrived. But it was not the owner.

The door chime rang, signaling the arrival of a customer. Haruka turned around, only to see Tokiya.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." The bluenet huffed, looking as if he ran all the way here. He was holding a folder containing some files, probably the calculated expenses they have for this year's cultural festival that he needs to review. The bluenet looked slightly disheveled, trails of sweat trickled down from his temple to his neck and his spikey hair was _more_ spikey than usual but in an unflattering way. Even so, he appeared charming as he usually was. Haruka was slightly dumbfounded, tiptoeing as she took a lost strand of hair on his forehead and set it right up to its proper place. She also took her handkerchief from her pocket in order to wipe the sweat off of his face. "Sorry." The bluenet shyly muttered, his cheeks were painted rose, the same shade printed in her hankie.

Haruka shook her head, shoving the piece of cloth back to the small space in her skirt. "You're early." She pointed out.

"They told me to go ahead." He paused. "Haruka, are you alright? Your face is pale."

"Is that so?" She laughed without humor, trying to act calm. "Nothing… it's just—"

"Hamuko, Minato!" An old yet energetic voice greeted. From inside the employees' room erupted an old man with an old-fashioned pipe hanging from his mouth. "My, my! Where have you two been?"

A few seconds later, an old lady scurried behind the old man and pulled him away before the old geezer can approach the two.

"Mitsuko!" The old man reprimanded. "What are you doing? Can't you see I'm talking to our son and daughter?"

The old lady, referred by the old man as 'Mitsuko', only frowned at her husband. "Bunkichi, dear." She tried to speak in the most soothing tone. "Our son died 10 years ago. And we never had a daughter." She gave them an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for my husband's actions. His Alzheimer's has been getting worse lately." The old man continued to sputter nonsensical things, Mitsuko bowed her head lowly. "I'm really sorry for the inconvenience."

The rosette shook her head. "It's alright." She then bowed politely. "We'll be taking our leave."

Mitsuko looked relieved.

The two high school student turned their heels. Tokiya looked confused at what had just happened.

"Do you know them?" He asked.

But Haruka wasn't paying him any attention. Just as they were about to exit from the shop, she heard a little bit of their conversation.

"What do you mean we don't have a daughter?!" Bunkichi nagged. "Don't you remember you gave birth to twins 27 years ago, and their names are Minato and Hamuko!"

"Dear, the name of our son is Makoto." Mitsuko sighed tiredly. "I don't know anyone named Minato and Hamuko, and I doubt I will forget the name of the child that I've given birth to."

The rosette closed her eyes, trying to calm her nerves.

"No." She spoke, at last. "I don't know them."

.

.

.

The sudden weight of a hand on her shoulder woke Haruka up from her reverie.

"Haruka, are you sure you're okay?" Tokiya asked. "You seemed out of the weather ever since we left the music shop."

"I promise, it's nothing important." Haruka insisted. "I think the old couple reminded me of my Obaa-chan back in the country side and how I miss her."

_Lies_. Inner Haruka sneered. _How dare you use Obaa-chan as an excuse?_

_What do you expect me to say? _Haruka spitted back. _That I just talked with this 'Hamuko' and 'Minato' person and one of them gave me a very chilling message?_

Inner Haruka didn't say anything anymore.

"Do you want to visit the convenience store on the way to your apartment?"

She blinked.

"What for?"

"Well," Tokiya laughed nervously. "You seem really quiet so I thought maybe I could treat you with some ice—"

"YES!" Her eyes glittered in excitement. "Yes, please do."

Tokiya chuckled.

And so visit the convenience store they did.

.

.

.

"Are you feeling better?" The bluenet asked as they exited the small shop.

"Much better."

Haruka plopped the strawberry flavored Popsicle inside her mouth, shoving its plastic wrapper inside the convenience store grocery bag. Tokiya took his share, a blueberry Popsicle from the bag. Hesitantly, he tore the wrapper and quizzically stared at the cold treat. The composer chuckled, taking the Popsicle from his hand to remove the packaging. She handed the desert back to him, which he accepted gratefully.

"So what was it that you wanted you to tell me?"

Now, it was _his _turn for his mood to become sour.

"How did your talk with—" he snarled—"_Shibuya_ go?"

She frowned, finding his expression uncalled for. She threw her empty Popsicle to the nearest trash can. Tokiya stared at her in amazement, how she was capable of devouring her ice cream in a matter of two sentences was absolutely beyond him.

"Tokiya-kun, for the last time, she's my _friend_." She tried to sound calm but there were hints of annoyance in her voice. "Please don't make such a big fuss about it just because I talked to her."

He chomped at his ice cream, turning away. Turning away maybe to emphasize his distaste or maybe because eating his cold treat in one go made him have a mini-brain freeze, that's for you to decided. "But she's not _any _friend." He said begrudgingly. "She's a psychotic person who had the eyes as if she wanted to eat you alive."

"_Tokiya_, please!" She said in a stern voice. "Don't be so childish."

"How could I _not _be 'childish' if she was the reason why we almost broke up?" His voice was getting higher by each word. "Thankfully, we didn't because if we did…" He closed his eyes, breathing heavily through his nose. He angrily gritted his teeth, clenching his fingers to a tight ball of fist. "Just the mere notion of us breaking up because of her makes my blood boil so much."

Haruka remained silent for a few minutes, frowning upon hearing the menace in his voice whenever he's talking about Tomo-chan, her best friend. It makes her sad thinking that two of the most important people in her life don't get along, in fact, they hate each other as if their lives depend on it. She covered her face with her hands, trying to hide the tears that welled up in her eyelids. Tokiya sighed, taking her hand away from her face. But as soon as he unraveled her defense, she mumbled something that was borderline inaudible.

He blinked. "What?"

"_Don't you trust me_?" She repeated what she previously whispered but this time, louder and more pronounced.

"Why all of a sudden—" he laughed nervously but was almost immediately cut off.

"Even if all of them are against us and willing to sabotage our relationship, don't you trust me enough that I wouldn't fall into their traps?" Haruka exhaled deeply, shaking her head. "No, do you _honestly_ think I would _ever _doubt you in the first place?"

He looked down, clenching his fist. Now he just felt guilty.

"No. Of course not. You wouldn't doubt me even if people told you hundreds of lies. And even if you did, you'll immediately come to me just to confirm it. You're that kind of person." The hand that held hers tightened, not to the point of suffocation but gave more of a comforting feeling. "I trust you. I trust you more than I could possibly trust any other human being. I trust you more than I trust myself."

She smiled. "I'm glad." She sighed in relief.

"But that's not what I wanted to say." He clarified, letting her hand go. "We're merely at the tip of the iceberg. Actually, what I'm going to tell you doesn't have any connection to Shibuya to the slightest bit."

The rosette looked genuinely surprised, she thought they were just going to talk about that. But then again, it seemed like he was taking this matter very seriously and Haruka doubt that Tokiya would spend even the slightest amount of his time about Tomo-chan.

"Continue."

He nodded.

"This might surprise you but—_ why are you laughing_?"

The rosette covered her mouth, stifling the giggles that wanted to come out from her lips.

"I just came to a realization that ever since I dated you…" She grinned wholeheartedly. "Life has been full of surprises to the point everything that other people might consider as 'surprising' turned mundane to me."

He raised an eyebrow.

"…_Okay_."

"Continue." She repeated, completely gathering her wits.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She nodded, seriousness was now written all over her face.

He gave her another look as if making sure she won't interrupt him anymore, after a moment of complete silence he continued.

"I want you to meet my mother."

There was a moment silence.

"**_PAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPARARARARARARARARAR_A**~!"

Another moment of silence, this time, it was just plain awkward.

"Haruka, dear, you do know that I love you so much with all my heart, however please do enlighten me with what in the name of fuck did you just do?"

The rosette frowned, looking very disappointed with her boyfriend.

"You don't know that song? It's from the good American sitcom that I really like…"

Tokiya furrowed his eyebrows.

"_Okay_."

Sometimes, he realizes that his girlfriend has an odd streak in her. Then again, how could she keep up with him if she doesn't have that level of peculiarity in her personality?

"So what's your answer?" He asked, fumbling nervously on the hem of his uniform as he awaited for her answ—

"Sure."

Tokiya face planted.

"'_Sure_?'" He repeated incredulously. "You don't have any violent reactions? Something like, I'm acting too old-fashioned or we're being too fast. Or even worse," He paused dramatically, blood drained from his face. "Maybe you think I'm a momma's boy."

Haruka laughed nervously, scratching the side of her cheek. "Uh… I told you, nothing seems surprising anymore to me since I started dating you. I mean, think of it. I openly accepted you having a second personality without questioning you about the details so why do I need to sound so shocked about you wanting me to meet your mother?"

"Good point." Tokiya hummed.

"But because of what you said, it _did _make me think." She scooted over, nudging him playfully on the sides. "Are you a momma's boy, Tokiya-kun?"

The bluenet blushed.

"You could say that." He didn't deny such allegations.

Haruka chuckled. Tokiya turned into a deeper shade of red.

"You might be thinking how uncool I am." He pouted as he crossed his arms.

_How cute!_ Haruka thought. "Aw, it's not that, Tokiya-kun!" Frustratingly, yet undeniably adorable, this made him pout harder. She sighed exasperatedly. "Tokiya, dear, I, of all people, should know how completely uncool you are in reality."

He fell silent.

"Good point."

The rosette rolled her eyes, but a smile continued to decorate on her lips.

"I think there's nothing 'uncool' about loving your parents." She explained. "Specially knowing how your father…" She didn't even manage to finish her sentence. The mood around them immediately turned dark, and she couldn't help but feel guilty about bringing up such tragic topic. "Oh," She shook her head and changed the topic. "I didn't know you were still in-contact with your mother."

Tokiya's mood noticeably lightened, (_Thank God,_ she thought.) "Oh, did I forget to tell you? My mother was given the right to visit me once a month."

"Once a month…" Haruka repeated absentmindedly. "So you only get to meet her twelve times a year?"

The bluenet smiled but the sadness in his eyes was noticeable. "And that's why I really want my girlfriend to meet my mother." He said as he entwined his fingers around hers, the young composer blushed but didn't say anything. "I rarely get the chance to meet her, at least the next time we meet I'll be able to bring her good news." He looked deeply through her eyes. "_You_."

And there on the spot, she was presenting him the 50 possible shades of Haruka.

"That was so cheesy." She pointed out, cheeks were still glowing.

Tokiya chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Please forgive me, I only get in the mood to say things like this once every blue moon."

"So when are you going to introduce me?" She asked.

"Hm… Exactly one month after tomorrow?"

"_One month after tomorrow_?" She gasped.

"You sound surprised." The bluenet raised an eyebrow. "You said nothing surprises you—"

"I know what I said!" Haruka said exasperatedly. "I'm just a little… _nervous_ that it's sooner than I expected."

"Should I postpone it?"

She shook her head.

"No, it's alright. I think I'll be able to fully prepare myself after one month."

Tokiya nodded, his expression showing how grateful he was that Haruka willingly accepted his request.

"So…" There was a hint of awkwardness in her voice. "You _do _remember that I promised Hayato to have sex with you after the cultural festival. I mean, don't you think it's weird that we're having intimate physical contact before I could even meet your parents?"

Tokiya remained silence for a few seconds.

"That's a different story."

"That's a different story, indeed." Haruka nodded in agreement.

"Oh," Tokiya snapped his fingers, remembering something. "Haruka. The song?"

"_The song_?" She repeated.

"Yes." He nodded impatiently. "The song. My _solo_ song."

Golden eyes widened.

"Oh _snap_!" She looked flustered. "Oh no oh no oh no!"

"We still have time." Tokiya said encouragingly.

"Let's do it now?" She asked. "Right here?"

"Whoa." Tokiya blushed. "That sounded so wrong."

It took the rosette a few seconds before she realized what he was implying.

"_That's a different story_."

The bluenet rolled his eyes at the lame attempt of his girlfriend to imitate him.

Out of nowhere, golden eyes widened and she gasped loudly. Tokiya raised an eyebrow and was about to ask her what's the matter when she spoke.

"_Orpheus_." She said excitedly. Haruka seized his arms and started beaming. "Thank you, Tokiya!"

"You're welcome, _I guess_." He shrugged, still unable to understand what was going on.

Haruka could only grin. After a few seconds, she started humming. Tokiya joined and sputtered random words. And before they knew it, they already finished the song.

.

.

.

Tokiya was pacing back and forth, anxiously biting his lips. His white heeled boots kept hitting the wooden floor, making a rhythmic _thum-thum-thum, _the sound reflecting to the beat his heart was making right now. Behind the curtains, they could hear the people chanting their fan-favorites, excitedly waiting for the appearance of their beloved STARISH. The idea only makes the bluenet even more anxious, the speed of his marching just became even faster. Good thing it was dark backstage because no one would see the ridiculously scary face he was making.

"Stop it, _mou!_" Otoya complained. "It's unlike you to act this way, Tokiya. You're making me more nervous."

The bluenet mouthed a 'sorry' before continuing his silent moping, marching backstage just like a soldier. Otoya sighed heavily, clasping his hands together at a corner as he prayed. He wasn't a Christian, but to make the long story short, he was merely seeking guidance from something he doesn't believe in. He then looked to his right, to where his bandmates were also waiting, and was about to say some encouraging words to them and to not get nervous when he saw something terribly wrong.

"Masayan." He called. "Why are you not wearing your costume and why are you doing traditional Japanese calligraphy right now?"

With a glint from his eyes, Masato smoothly ran his brush against the parchment, completely paying no mind to his friend's question. With one deep heavy sighed, he placed his calligraphy pen down, revealing his art work saying, '穏', '_joyo_', or _'calm_' in English. Apparently, this is his way of 'calming himself down'.

"_Mou!_" Otoya face-palmed. "I expected the two stoic members of STARISH to remain their cool, and yet here they are doing absolutely unnecessary things!"

"Let them be." Ren laughed light-heartedly. He seemed to be the only one feeling laid-back right now. Or maybe he was _actually _feeling nervous, but he was just that good at hiding his feelings. One will never know. "This might be one of the few times we can see these two panicking, so let's enjoy the sight while we still can."

"_You sadist_." Syo sneered.

The blond womanizer puffed his chest out, as if this was something to be proud of.

Cecil slightly peered out of the stage curtains, sweat dropping. "Unexpectedly, there are many people outside cheering for us." He blatantly stated the obvious.

"No shit, Sherlock." Syo rolled his eyes, burying his face on his sweaty palms.

And as expected, this only made Otoya even _more _nervous. He shivered and curled into a tiny ball of apprehension, shaking fervently in stage-fright. Natsuki sat right beside him, patting him lightly on the shoulder. "It's okay, Otoyan!" The blond giant grinned. "We have each other's backs so you don't need to worry about anything." The red-haired boy looked up at his friend, smiling at him for making the effort to calm him down even though it's noticeable that the hand he placed on Otoya's shoulder was shaking as well.

"Is everyone alright?"

All eyes turned towards the small shaking stature of a girl named Nanami Haruka. Even though she merely composed the songs, she felt equally nervous and shaky as the performers. It might sound mean but upon seeing Haruka's restless face, the red-haired boy felt slightly better. _Not _because he enjoys seeing other people in pain, everyone knows he's not the kind of person to think like that. It was more of... he found it kind of endearing that she was getting nervous _for _them. But then again, it was _her _song so she's probably worried about how the crowd will take it.

Tokiya finally stopped. Mechanically, he turned his head around. "Oh, Haruka." He attempted to smile, only for his face muscles to twitch abhorrently. All of SARISH backed away in horror. Haruka could only laugh at their reactions. "Hello there."

"Hello to you, too, Tokiya-kun." She greeted back. "Try to calm down," she said in a worried tone. "You're scaring them out."

The bluenet sighed exasperatedly. "It's easier said than done."

Haruka frowned but then an idea suddenly came to her mind. She then turned towards the boys, a determined look on her face. "Everyone, let's form a circle." She said excitedly. They all raised their eyebrows but followed her request anyway. "Let's place our hands all together in the middle and cheer," She fist-pumped adorably. "_'STARISH, OH_!'"

"Why?" Tokiya asked blankly.

"_W-w-why_?" Haruka looked away, blushing profusely. "T-t-to calm you down?"

"I—"

"—_We_think that's a good idea." Masato interjected, elbowing Tokiya to shut him up.

The rosette eyed him from head to toe.

"Hijirikawa-san, why aren't you wearing your costume? The concert will start in 10 minutes or so."

Masato coughed awkwardly, cheeks were flushed red. "Never mind that, Nanami-san." He said. "Let's do this!" He then looked at Tokiya, giving him a trusting nod. "Since you're the student council president, you're obviously the 'leader' of this group. You're entitled to start this cheer with good words of confidence."

"But that's embarrassing." Tokiya pointed.

"Ichinose-san," Cecil sighed. "the name 'STARISH' itself is embarrassing and yet we're 'debuting' with such name."

They all fell silent.

"Put your hands here." The bluenet shook his head and did as what was instructed to him. Since they already formed a small circle, the only thing that's left is to place their hands in the middle. They did as they were told. Tokiya took one last deep breath before starting his 'speech'.

"STARISH, after so much blood, sweat, and tears, it's finally the day we have been waiting for. Behind these curtains stand hundreds of people waiting for us to perform, cheering us on. Let us not make that a reason why we should be nervous, but a reason for us to do our best; to show them that their support has given us the strength to do well and perform there live in front of them. As we all know, this concert first started out as a contest between us and Raging's SC. However let us not think about that, let's just perform and enjoy what we're doing. Whether we win or lose, let's accept the results. Let's just show the audiences a live performance they've never seen before, a performance that's more than 1000%! Now, what group are we?"

"STARISH…" The members were slightly dumbfounded at how good his speech was that it took them a moment before they realized that Tokiya asked him a question.

"I can barely hear you." He shouted. "_What group are we_?"

"STARISH!" They shouted back.

"_What are we going to show them_!?"

"A performance more than 1000%!"

"And that is?" Tokiya chuckled.

"2000%!"

"More than that! Let's make a…"

"REVOLUTION!" They answered all together.

Exactly after that, someone came in the backstage and informed them that the concert was about to start in 5 minutes. They looked at one another and shouted.

"_STARISH, OH_!"

.

.

STARISH already heading to the waiting zone between the stages and the backstage for their names were already called for stand-by. Haruka was taking deep-breaths, silently praying to Kami-sama that this performance will end up a success. But of course they will, they were her boys after all! Also their senpais, QUARTET NIGHT, she's absolutely sure that they will nail this performance and will show everyone attending this concert such an amazing show that it will forever be engraved in their minds! She's—

"Haruka."

She turned to where she heard the voice, only to be in shock to see Tokiya standing there.

"Tokiya-kun!" The rosette looked flustered, rushing towards him. "Why are you still here—"

Without even allowing her to finish her sentence, he grabbed her shoulders and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. Golden eyes widened in shock, her whole body went rigid and stiff. For some reason, his lips were ice cold. Could it be because he's nervous? 'That's a little bit farfetched', she thought. He pulled away and looked into her eyes. As usual, just like when they always do, after they kissed, he smiled at her. But for some reason, this time it was…

_Sad_.

"Thank you for everything." He whispered with a shaking voice. "Always remember that I love you."

He moved away and headed towards the waiting zone. He gave one last turn and mouthed something, before the darkness completely swallowed his figure up.

Haruka could only stand there, dumbfounded.

.

.

.

sen PĀ koechatte _(Surpassing 1000%,)_

nisen PĀ kono tsugi wa _(Next after 2000% is)_

LOVE no daikakumei _(A great revolution of love,)_

MAJI LOVE REBORYŪSHONZU _(Serious Love Revolutions!)_

kanjiau REVOLUTION _(Experiencing together this revolution!)_

afuredasu REVOLUTION _(This overflowing revolution!)_

saikou ni REVOLUTION _(This greatest revolution!)_

mezasou! REVOLUTION _(Let's aim for this revolution!)_

kirameki no REVOLUTION _(This glittering revolution!)_

hibikiau REVOLUTION _(This resounding revolution!)_

subete wa REVOLUTION _(Everything is this revolution!)_

STARISH!

HĀTO ni saku MERODI tachi wa _(These melodies blossoming in our hearts are)_

O, Oh kimi dake no MONO _(O, oh! They're something for you alone)_

densetsu e to tsunagaru mirai_(A future tied to the stuff of legends,)_

Let's Pray egakimashou _(Let's pray! We'll depict it together!)_

DAIYAMONDO yori kirameita _(Glittering more brightly than diamonds,)_

Kizuna _(This bond,)_

Kiseki _(This miracle,)_

hoshi ni negai o _(Our wish to the stars!)_

yuzurenai kimochi _(These feelings I can't let go of,)_

GUTto nigittara _(If I grasp them tightly,)_

TSUN to tsukiagete _(Bursting out suddenly,)_

MŌRETSU ni atsuku _(Intensifying with passion,)_

egao de Good Luck! _(Wishing us 'Good luck!' with a smile,)_

iza sora e to _(Now, to the sky!)_

hora sekai ga matteru kara _(See, because the world is waiting for us!)_

We Can Fly!

utaou (sen PĀ) orodou (nisen PĀ) _(Let's sing! (1000%) Let's dance! (2000%))_

yume o sakebe REBORYŪSHONZU _(Shout out your dreams in these revolutions!)_

KISU o shiyou (sen PĀ) te o tsunagou (nisen PĀ) _(Let's kiss! (1000%) Let's hold hands! (2000%))_

DATE janai ze _(It's not just for show,)_

ai no chikara wa _(The power of love!)_

'daisuki' o kometara_(When we're filled by saying "I love you,")_

GYUTto kimi o daku yo _(We'll embrace you tightly!)_

LOVE no daikakumei_(A great revolution of love,)_

MAJI LOVE REBORYŪSHONZU_(Serious Love Revolutions!)_

.

.

.

"Everyone, let's all give the stage to…" Otoya gestured and smiled at his friends. The bluenet smiled back, but for some reason he seemed… out of it? "Ichinose Tokiya! He will perform a solo for us!" He doesn't know if the crowd noticed his voice falter but STARISH surely did. They left the stage and their president was left alone, standing there.

"ARE YOU READY?!" Tokiya cheered.

"YEEEEEAH!"

Now, SARISH was standing backstage. They were dead silent and no one dared to speak, the only sound that can be heard was the sound of the people passionately chanting Tokiya's name outside and the background music. Surprisingly, it was Natsuki who first spoke.

"That was odd."

Scarlet eyes widened, a soft gasp escaped from his lips. _So it wasn't only me who noticed_! Otoya thought. Then again, they have been friends since elementary so it's not a surprise if they were able to detect the slightest change among their peers.

"What do you mean?" Syo raised an eyebrow, the only seemingly clueless one in the group.

"There is something wrong with Ichinose." Masato looked down, his amethyst eyes were misty in contemplation.

"I knew it!" Otoya shouted. "I thought it was only me who noticed. When I looked at him a while ago, he seemed—"

"Off for some reason." Ren finished. "I realized that he was acting strangely since he returned back to us after he went to talk to Haruka. Maybe something happened between them?"

"Guys," Cecil warned. "His performance is about to start."

They all kept quiet and nodded.

.

.

kono mune ni kizamareta First Impact, Fast Soul Beat_(Carved into this chest, the first impact, a fast soul beat.)_

seijaku ni yureru machi ANJU no uta wa doko e? _(In the silence of the shaken town, where is the angel's song?)_

samayotta meiro no hate Just Feeling, Just Missing _(Wandering the extent of the labyrinth, just feeling, just missing.)_

ima kimi wa nani o negau? _(What is it you desire?)_

Sing Your Song hanaretetemo wakaru yo _(Sing your song. Even if separated, I understand)_

Hear My Wind tsunagatte iru sora wa hitotsu _(Hear my wind. We are connected under one sky.)_

Kagirinai—(Endless-)

The instrumental kept playing but no voice accompanied it. The crowd looked at each other in confusion, wondering if there was some technical problem with the microphone. But that doesn't seem to be the problem since the bluenet's mouth wasn't moving at all. In other words...

He just _stopped._

.

.

"What the fuck is he doing?!" Syo swore.

"Should we tell the coordinators to stop the show?" Natsuki suggested.

Otoya was about to do just that when Masato intervened.

"No." He shook his head.

"What do you mean _'no'_?!" The red-haired's voice was higher than usual. Everyone looked shocked at his outburst. Otoya shook his head, seemingly frustrated at what was going. But it's natural, since after all they were the closest ones in the group. "I'm sorry for shouting at you." The vice-president indicated that everything was fine. "But what if Tokiya's not feeling well? I don't know what I'll do to myself if something happened to him..."

"Let's trust him." Masato said with determination. "We can only trust Tokiya that he knows what he's doing and we all know that whatever he's doing it's because it's the benefit of other people."

Otoya nodded hesitantly. He looked at his friend performing at the stage, his hands choking the neck of the bottle he was holding.

"I believe you."

.

.

"Good evening, everyone." He calmly greeted. This time, the music director already stopped the music, they might've realized that something was wrong. The whole school seemed to stop moving, all eyes were on the bluenet and waiting patiently for his next move. And that's what Tokiya wanted them to do. "Don't worry," He chuckled softly. "I'm not stopping the concert or anything stupid like that. I know how precious your time is and you kindly used it to attend our concert. For that, thank you." The crowd clapped, tearful that their idol was thanking them even though it was supposed to be _them _who should say their thanks to him for being the best student council president in Saotome Academy history. Tokiya smiled and raised his hand, telling them to stay silent. They did as what they are told. "The reason why I stopped the song is because I… merely had _a change _of heart."

The crowd erupted in murmurs, finding his words exotic and as if he was trying to say a special cryptic message for them to decipher.

"Allow me to sing to you a song, a very special song that is close to my heart." Tokiya pointed his fingers at the crowd, making them squeal in delight. "I hope you're listening carefully right now." The females who were watching (which was the majority) couldn't help but feel giggly that Tokiya seemed to be talking to them. But what they didn't know, he was being very specific when he said 'you'. "Sadly, we didn't record any instrumental for this song." He sounded genuinely sorry. "But please, enjoy it anyway!"

.

.

oboete imasu ka Princess? _(Do you remember, my princess?)_  
hajimete atta ano hi _(The day we first met)_  
kimi wa hitori bocchi de _(You were all alone,)_  
sora o miagete ita… _(Staring at the sky…)_  
jibun no mune no oku ni aru _(In the depths of your own heart,)_  
jibun dake no houseki o _(There's a jewel just for you)_  
kimi wa tabun mada mitsuketenai dake… _(You probably just haven't found it yet…)_

kimi no se ni nemuru tsubasa wa _(The wings on your back are resting,)_  
kaze dake o matteru _(Just waiting for a breeze)_  
mi o makasete me o tsumutte _(Surrender yourself and close your eyes)_  
kanjiru hazu atatakasa o _(And you will feel their warmth)_

hikaru oka de machitsudzukeru _(Still waiting on that shining hill,)_  
kimi ga habataku yume _(Spreading the wings of your dreams)_  
te o tsunaide shinjite hora _(Now, take my hand and believe)_  
issho ni tobitatou _(And we'll fly away together)_

omoidashite _(I remember )_  
ano egao o _(Your smile)_  
tomaranai Music _(This endless music,)_  
niji no Melody _(This rainbow's melody,)_  
towa ni kirameku SUTĀDASUTO SONGU _(Sparkling for eternity, this stardust song)_

.

.

Sitting inside the dressing room, Haruka sat alone as she listened at the echoes of her boyfriend's voice across the whole school. Tears welled up in her eyes, she covered them with her palms, trying to show no signs of weakness even though there wasn't anyone there in the first place to watch her in this vulnerable moment. "What are you doing, Tokiya-kun…?" Haruka cried. "Didn't you promise that this song is only a secret between the two of us?"

.

.

oboete imasu ka? Princess? _(Do you remember, my princess?)_  
nanairo no KONPASU wa _(That rainbow-colored compass)_  
suishou no youni hora mata mirai ni kagayaku _(See, it still shines like a crystal in the future)_  
maigo no KOKORO nakanai de _(Don't cry, lost heart)_  
itsu datte kimi no soba ni iru _(I will always be by your side)_  
sasageru toki no Dream tomo ni kizamou yo _(The dream I give to you, we'll carve it out together)_  
Feel It, Crystal Time

.

.

He stopped singing, ending the song with a finely tuned vibrato. It took them a moment before they realized that the song has ended, they were far too enchanted with the bluenet's voice. Once the magic of his soulful singing faded, the whole school erupted in loud applause. Tokiya could only bow in gratitude. "But this isn't even my last song!" He declared.

This announcement only made them even more restless.

.

.

_Please take care of everything for me_. His other self whispered before fading at the back of their minds.

"Eh?" When Hayato was fully conscious, he found himself standing in the middle of a stage, in front of a rambunctious crowd. They were chanting 'Ichinose' again and again. Even if he knew that they were referring to the _other _Ichinose, this doesn't stop him from feeling energized! He knew what was going on and what he was supposed to do. He's been waiting for his day since a long time ago.

_Of course I will! _He answered to his other self before looking at the crowd with intense vibrant bad-boy energy. The crowd immediately noticed his sudden change of aura, and this got them excited.

"LET'S BREAK THIS CAGE DOWN!"

.

.

(What's This?)  
kamen goshi no JASUTISU _(Behind the mask of justice,_)  
risouron de busou no FEISU _(Is a face armed with ideals)_  
(What's This?)  
Mr. Perfect? No, No warawasemasu _(Mr. Perfect? No, no! Don't make me laugh)_  
(What's This?)  
kagami goshi no suhara kizu hitotsu nai yuutousei _(The body on the other side of the mirror of an honor student without a single scar)_  
(What's This? x3)  
toki ni wa kakan ni semetai _(At times, I want to attack that resolve)_

Sexy, Sexy, Want To Do It  
kinjirareta ganbou _(The desires I could surpress)_  
Cool tte MASUKU o Take Off x2 _(That "cool" mask, take it off! Take it off!)_  
Sexy, Sexy, Want To Do It  
rashiku nakya DAME desu ka? _(Is it impossible to be myself?)_

shihai sareteku risei o Education _(My reason is dominated by education)_  
HONTO no jibun wa doko ni? _(Where is my true self?)_

sugao no yume o misetai _(Wishing to be enchanted by an honest dream)_  
(I Want It To Change)  
kyoukasho doori janai LIVE _(A real life not conveyed in textbooks)_  
(I Want It To Change)  
honnou no mama no senritsu _(An instinctual melody)_  
(I Want It To Change)  
sakebi agete utaitai _(I want to sing and shout it out!)_  
(Sing It)  
kakumei no youna _(It's revolutionary)_  
(Sing It)  
ai o sono mama ni _(This unchanging love)_  
(Sing It x3)  
Independence Day

(Searching)  
kasoku gimi no RABURESU _(Accelerating loveless sensations )_  
kousaku suru kimochi _(Complicating feelings)_  
(Searching)  
koi wa fuhitsuyou? No, No hiteishimasu _(Is love unnecessary? No, no! I deny it)_  
(Searching)  
tesaki ga hoshiteru nukumori no ENAJĪ _(My fingers desire the energy of your warmth)_  
(Searching x3)  
honne o hakujou sasete _(Allow me to confess my true feelings)_

Sexy, Sexy, Want To Do It  
nichijou no gyakusetsu _(This everyday paradox,)_  
aa kamisama Tell Me x2 _(Ah, dear God, tell me! Tell me!)_  
Sexy, Sexy, Want To Do It  
MANEKIN ja itakunai _(I don't want to be just a mannequin)_

hi genjitsu e to tamashii Salvation _(To unreality, my soul's salvation)_  
umarekawatte mitai _(It's like being born anew)_

kiseki o kimi ni misetai _(I want to show you this enchanting miracle)_  
(I Want It To Change)  
te o nobashitsukamitai _(I want to reach out and seize it)_  
(I Want It To Change)  
motto motto takami e to _(Higher and higher)_  
(I Want It To Change)  
kanjou yo ten ni tobe _(Fly, my feelings! To the heavens)_  
(Sing It)  
shin no kanousei _(My true potential,)_  
(Sing It)  
tameshite mitai _(I'd like to test it out)_  
(Sing It x3)  
Independence Day

Sexy, Sexy, Want To Do It  
Sexy, Sexy, Want To Do It  
Sexy, Sexy, Want To Do It  
Sexy, Sexy, Want To Do It  
toki o tometara hoshi o Selection _(If time were to stop, a selection of stars)_  
jibun iro de kagayakitai _(I'd want them to shine with my own colors)_

sugao no yume o misetai _(Wishing to be enchanted by an honest dream)_  
(I Want It To Change)  
kyoukasho doori janai LIVE _(A real life not conveyed in textbooks)_  
(I Want It To Change)  
honnou no mama no senritsu _(An instinctual melody)_  
(I Want It To Change)  
sakebi agete utaitai _(I want to sing and shout it out!)_  
(Sing It)  
sekai bun no ichi _(One in the entire world)_  
(Sing It)  
junshin na yume o _(This pure dream)_  
(Sing It x3)  
Independence Day

Independence Day  
Independence Day  
Independence Day  
Independence Day

As soon as he finished singing, the crowd grew even _more _hyper.

_Thank you_. Tokiya whispered to him.

_You're welcome! _Hayato cheekily grinned. _Wait a minute, Tokiya, is it me or are you_-

He didn't even finish his inner monologue. He felt something wet trickle down his left eye.

_Only _his left eye.

.

.

As soon as Hayato finished performing, QUARTET NIGHT was next. He gave them a thumbs back even if he knew that being the cool upper classman that they are, they would only nod in gratitude. And as expected, they did just that and only Reiji gave a thumbs back.

With a loud groan, he headed towards the dressing room where he knows everyone was lounging. As soon as he arrived, he was greeted with very proud looks from his friends. They all stood up upon seeing him enter the room, the group bombarded him with 'congratulations' and 'that was on heck of a performance'. Among the crowd of men, Hayato desperate looked for a small head of red. And indeed, there she was. Haruka was also there, sitting on the chair intended for him. But he didn't really care if she was using his chair. They both know that what his is also hers and what's hers is also his. Blue eyes widened when he caught sight of her small stature, a grin crept on his lips as he walked towards her.

"Haru-chan!" Hayato called. The rosette looked up upon hearing her name. He expected her to look happy when she sees him and tell him that he did a job well done. But this time, she only gave him a grim look. Abruptly, she stood up from her chair and headed towards his directions. "Haruka, what's—" A stinging sensation spread on his cheeks, blue eyes could only stare back at the angry golden eyes that looked at him with such accusation.

"H-Haru-chan," He stuttered. "D-did I do something wrong to make you angry?"

Golden eyes widened and she fell a step back. Haruka turned around, refusing to face him as she shook her head in desperately. Slowly, she crumpled down to the floor and started crying. The boys immediately went to her side, asking her what was wrong. They all looked at Hayato with worry, wondering if _she _really was the reason why his other self was acting weirdly. They asked her what was the problem but she blatantly declined to respond, her whole body was shaking and her cries echoed across the room. Hayato could only stare at her, trying his best to comprehend what was going on but failing to do so. Haruka rubbed her eyes, stopping her tears from flowing but it just didn't.

It took her a while to understand what he said before he left her backstage. When she realized what it was, she wondered what he meant by that. But during the time Hayato was performing, it hit her. So as soon as Hayato finished his performance, Haruka tested out her hypothesis. And much to her shock, it was true.

"Haru-chan," Hayato whispered, his voice was dripping with guilt. "I'm sorry, okay? I don't know what I did but I'm really sorry!"

_Goodbye_.

That was what he said.

_Tokiya's gone_.

For good.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** All UTAPRI lyrics from all my fanfics are from silvermoon249's livejournal. Thank you for everything :) All songs and translations are owned by their respective owners and translators. Thank you for allowing me to burrow your works!

**Beta's Notes**: Grgl. **_Grglgrlgrlgrl._**

**Author's Notes: **Let's congratulate Sir Callum for beta-reading this 35-paged chapter. She's so happy she can't contain herself. Oh last words to you, because on the next and last chapter, you will no longer see any Author's notes.

The ending of this story has been decided since the beginning. It will not wait for you regardless of your opinion. After this chapter, I will only your imaginations to run freely and have your own interpretation of the ending. However, if you _do _have a theory, please do share.

**Edited: **Also, we have reached 20k views :D Thank you so much for reading!

**EDITED (09/15/15): **This chapter has been re-edited after Sir Callum realized she was high after proof-reading this last time, leaving out many errors. I apologize of the inconvenience.


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's Notes:** ***Updated* **Edited version at last!

* * *

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 29:

Snow White and the Beginning

"Hayato-kun!" Nanami Haruka cried anxiously as she fixed the collar of her peach-colored long-sleeved dress and fiddled with the diamond-embedded necklace her boyfriend gave to her about a month ago after the cultural festival. "Do I look alright?"

"For the last time, Haru," Ichinose Hayato ran his hand through his long spiky hair, sighing with slight irritation in his voice. "You look normal."

The rosette gasped in horror.

"So you mean I look like a wet hamster?!"

Hayato deadpanned.

"Haru, my love, what are you even talking about?"

"B-b-b-but I even asked Tomo-chan"—The bluenet visibly flinched upon hearing the name—"for some fashion advice on how to look presentable!" She grabbed the strands of her hair in panic. Poor Haruka was near the point of hyperventilation. "WHY?! DO I STILL LOOK LIKE A WET HAM-" Before she could finish uttering the name of the cute rodent she was comparing herself to, Hayato cupped her face and leaned closer. Golden eyes widened as she felt his soft lips on hers. He pulled away almost immediately.

"Haruka, again shall I repeat. You look normal. And before you could open your mouth and protest, allow me to finish." Haruka closed her mouth, putting her hands down. Hayato shook his head and continued. "You look as beautiful as you normally are and never have I ever thought that you looked in any way similar to a wet hamster. And if I find a wet hamster that actually _looks _like you, I will bring that rodent to church and marry it."

The rosette blushed, smiling sheepishly. "Really?" She whispered softly.

He smiled. "_Really._"

Behind them, maybe just one of the many diners who were unintentionally listening to their conversation due to the shrieking rosette's loud voice, commented enough for them to hear. "_'And if I find a wet hamster that actually looks like you, I will bring that rodent to church and marry it'_, what kind of compliment is that and what kind of girl is stupid enough to find that endearing?"

The two cynical lovebirds burst out laughing.

The couple was waiting patiently inside a classy yet comfortable restaurant that can be found near the school. According to Hayato, this was the location of their monthly rendezvous since he was 8. Much to Haruka's shock, it was just a simple establishment. It wasn't a well-known Italian restaurant or whatever you would expect a high-profiled family reunion to occur, it just seemed more similar to a casual meeting than anything else. But it wasn't like Haruka was complaining, of course. It made her easier to choose (actually, it was _Tomo_) what to wear: a semi-formal long-sleeved blouse. On the bluenet's insistence, she also added the necklace to the mix. It seemed rather out of place to her outfit but let's just hope she doesn't look as bad as she thought she was.

"A lot of things has happened to us, don't you think, Haru-chan?" Hayato softly said, sipping elegantly on his plastic straw.

The rosette could only nod, smiling in return. The two continued to chatter about nonsensical things, but for them the topic didn't matter at all. It was the _person_ they were talking to that was important.

"_Oh_," A feminine yet all-knowing voice exclaimed. This caught the couple's attention and they immediately turned to where the voice came from. Blue eyes widened in delight, while the young girl tried her best to calm her beating heart down for she immediately know where this was going. "My son, it's been a long time since I've seen you."

Hayato rose up from his seat, heading towards his mother with excited eyes. He gave her a familial hug, in which she returned with much affection. Unknown to them, Haruka cringed upon hearing what Hayato's mother referred to him. '_Waga musuko.'_ In what century does these two live in?! Never has she encountered a mother refer to her son with such formality. But then again, they _are_a traditional family (but not as strict as Hijirikawa's) so she shouldn't be surprised at how almost aristocratic they communicated with one another.

She could barely look at the former Ichinose matriarch for fear of realizing how much _unworthy _she was to be introduced to her but after much hesitation, Haruka gathered her courage together and silently scrutinized the middle-aged woman as she conversed animatedly with his son. Without a doubt, she was _beautiful_. Beautiful in an ancient yet elegant manner, not the type of 'beautiful' our society thinks. Maybe it was because of her profession (as she remembered, it was mentioned before that she took medicine but she doesn't know about her specialization), but she had this really _different _air about her. Her hair was a black, as black as coal yet glossy and her waves were full of volume. Her eyes were almond shaped, her irises were in the same shade as goldenrod flowers. She almost wore no make-up (which Haruka thought was _really _surprising) except for her blood red lipstick. Other than that, she was simple.

_Yet sophisticated in an undefinable way_. Inner Haruka cried. Haruka could only nod in agreement. But… she wouldn't lie. There was something really… _different _about her. It was borderline _wrong_. It seemed like there was this dangerous streak in her eyes that was both exotic and threatening at the same time. _But I already know about that. I already came prepared for the possible consequences of this meeting_.

"_Okaa-sama_," Hearing Hayato call his mother brought the rosette back to reality. "Meet my girlfriend, Haruka."

"Good day to you, madam." Haruka bowed politely, making sure to sound as courteous as possible. "I'm Nanami Haruka, I'm pleased to meet you."

"Oh, Haruka-san. You don't need to sound so formal, just call me by my name. I'm Soragami Shirayuki." The rosette noted how the named suited her very well, since she looked like a modern day Snow White. "I'm pleased to know that my son is in good hands. Taking care of him during my absence, I apologize if he's a handful." She laughed, but for some reason her voice sounded… _empty_.

"_Okaa-sama_!" Hayato blushed profusely, whining in protest.

"Now that we're done with the introduction… " Shirayuki abruptly stood up from her seat, stunning the couple. "please allow me to talk to my beloved son, Hayato."

The bluenet was surprised at the sheer boorishness of his mother. He gave his girlfriend a brief apologetic look, who for some reason gave a straight face, before directing his attention to the tensed woman in front of him. "_Okaa-sama_," Hayato called reproachfully. He noticed how his mother used the word _beloved _and changed her way of referring to Hayato entirely like she was talking about a different being. But then again, his mother knows about Tokiya so she probably thought _he_was literally a different person. That isn't really surprising, actually. Since whenever they meet-up, it was usually _him _who talked to their mother. This was the first time that Hayato was the one who came up to her. "I _am_—"

Before he could finish his sentence, she slapped him point blank on the face. Haruka grabbed the edges of her seat, golden eyes watched them in utter fright. Without waiting for Haruka nor Hayato to recover from the sudden turn of events, Shirayuki hugged her son tightly, tears were streaming down her eyes.

"My son Hayato!" She cried. "Even until this day, I am still remorseful for what happened to you before. I take full blame for all the sufferings you've encountered, please forgive me for what I've done." It was scary, her sudden change of demeanor. It was as if a coin has been flipped, the other side revealed a cold-business like mother and other one was a borderline psychotic mother who's miserable for all the deeds she has done (or rather failed to _do_) in the past.

The bluenet touched his throbbing cheek, how many times this has occurred before? "Okaa-sama, please. It is not your fault that I was taken custody by _Otou-sama_. No one has power against the law, even him. But anyway, this _is _Hayato. I-"

"You can't fool me, Tokiya." Haruka gasped softly. But then again, why _should _she be surprised about this? Shirayuki-san _was _their mother, so she most probably knew about the existence of his dual-personality. "Has your father tricked you again on riding along with his schemes? Because you can't fool me in this charades, I know more than anyone how my son speaks, Hayato wouldn't speak that politely!"

The bluenet looked at his girlfriend anxiously, which she returned with a blank look of '_please don't mind me'_. He paused for a second, as if a sudden idea came to him. "Okaa-sama, remember that I called you a month before…" Hayato whispered, trying to calm her mother down. People were starting to stare at them for the former wife of one of the richest business tycoon in Japan was creating such a ruckus in the small restaurant. "I told you that I had good news to tell."

She looked puzzled and stared at Haruka with piercing eyes, the rosette cowered on her seat, swallowing the forming lump inside her throat. "I thought you were referring to her…" Shirayuki's voice softened but her unnerving gaze didn't budge one bit.

"Yes, she's part of the good news. Actually, she's the bringer of the good news!" Hayato sound genuinely happy, however the nervousness in his voice was still evident. His mother did not say anything, instead she made a gesture that meant he can continue. Taking this as a positive sign, he sighed in relief and did as he was told. "Okaa-sama, Haruka made me accept who I really am, that I am not a perfect being. I finally merged with my dual-personality and became a normal person! It was because of her help, Okaa-sama! It was—"

"Dual-personality…?" The brunette repeated, as if she didn't catch anything he said but this one sole word. "What are you talking about, Hayato? You have no such thing."

"_Okaa-sama_," Hayato repeated for the _nth_ time, and it was noticeable how he was getting impatient. "Don't tell me you forgot about my _other_self. You've been meeting up with Tokiya every month in each year, remember? And then you would call out to me? Do you still remember? Yes, that's my dual-personality. Can—"

"What foolishness are you talking about?!" Shirayuki didn't even try to minimize her voice. This time, she was literally shouting at her son. All eyes were on them, the once busy establishment became deadly silent. "Tokiya was not a dual-personality, he was your _brother_!" The mother fell down to her knees, her whole body trembled. The couple hurried to her side, assisting her. "Even though Hayato was my favorite, I did not wish for my other son to disappear!" She slowly looked up, her eyes glued to Haruka. The rosette immediately backed away, feeling the menacing intent in her eyes. "You… It was your fault…!"

And before Haruka could react, she found herself lying down on the floor, a heavy body pinning her down on the warm tiles of the restaurant. '_YOU KILLED MY SON_!' Shirayuki repeatedly chanted, fingers entwined themselves at her fiery locks, slamming her head again and again on the solid ground. In a matter of seconds, she felt warm liquid seeping out of her scalp. It was painful at first but in a matter of seconds, numbness and darkness enveloped her senses and she found herself blacking out.

.

.

"Okaa-sama!" Hayato shouted, successfully pulling his mother away from his girlfriend. By now, a circle of people surrounded them. Thankfully, many people intervened before more damage has been done. "What do you think are you doing?! What has gotten into you?! "

"And _you_…!" She spun around, meeting his son's gaze. Brown eyes were seething in anger, they were no longer the beautiful goldenrods that he used to admire,they resembled more like rotting leaves during autumn. She violently grabbed the collar of his shirt, but it was as if she was planning to choke him but managed to stop herself before she could do so. "How could you allow that wench to kill your brother?!"

"_W-wench_?" Hayato repeated, his inner rudeness was resurfacing. He remembered how back then _he _also referred to his beloved in such a morbid way. "Even if you're my mother, you don't have any right to call her like that! And _okaa-sama_, since when have you been this unreasonable? _She _helped me become a normal man, and _this _was what you gave her in return?"

"_Normal?"_Shirayuki repeated. "There's nothing wrong with you, Hayato! You're perfect the way you are—"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He shouted, no longer containing his anger. "Weren't you the one who originally said that I have a psychological disorder—"

"_I was lying!_" She cried. "That was the explanation I gave to you to explain to your condition after the surgery! He was no dual-personality, he was your—"

"_Soragami, that's enough_."

It was as if time stopped itself. Blue eyes widened, not expecting to hear _that _voice in this situation. They slowly turned around, both of them silently praying it was not the person they thought it was. But their wishes were not granted for in fact, it really _was _him. The sophisticated Ichinose head was standing in the middle of the crowd, holding a pair of designer shades in his hand. His lips formed a tight line, clearly not amused on what was going on.

"_Otou-sama_…" Hayato managed to voice out. "What are you doing..."

"I've always been here." Hajime Ichinose answered calmly. "Every year, each month, every time you met up with your mother, I've always been watching you from the shadows, being on guard in case she does… _this_." He gestured at the clearly psychotic woman, shaking dramatically. "Don't worry about Nanami-san, I had an ambulance on stand-by just in case today. But I never really thought that we would ever need it…" Just as he said, there were already paramedics carrying Haruka on a stretcher, bringing her to an ambulance. "Don't worry, they'll will bring her in the hospital and will take good care of her, I give you absolute assurance. Now that all of these things have been cleared, we need to tell you something very important, Hayato. It's something about you."

"This is all too fast…" The bluenet took a step back, sweat-dropping. "I don't understand...! Why are you here?! Why is mother-"

"That's why we're going to explain." Hajime sternly cut him off. He then gave a sideward glance to his former wife, shaking his head in disapproval. "But first, give your mother her medicine. It's in her purse. After that, come with us. We'll explain everything to you, that you may understand."

Unable to do anything else, he did as he was told and obediently followed his father. He stared at the almost terrifying form of his mother, the mother whom he thought was the only source of comfort in the Ichinose family even though they rarely meet but it turned out that she was more of a problem rather than a help, all his thoughts and bonds shattered before him. Nothing was making sense anymore.

Now that he thinks of it,

Did anything ever did?

.

.

"Have a seat, Hayato."

Hayato nodded, too tired and too confused to argue. The Ichinose head brought them to an expensive restaurant, reserving a room especially for just the three of them. It would've looked like an endearing family dining together, if only this was the circumstance. They were sharing a table, the three of them formed a triangle. The head remained as compose as ever, the brunette finally calmed down but you can't deny the fact that she still looked quite haggard, while the bluenet tried his best to wear his to remain neutral but you can't shake off the utter look of bewilderment on his face. Hajime assured him before going here that the hospital where Haruka's in was only a few blocks away from this restaurant so he could run to where his girlfriend was in case he decided that he doesn't want to listen to their explanation. Actually, he was worried sick and wanted to do just that. However, the mystery of _everything _about him was about to be revealed to him. He just can't…

_I'm sorry, Haru-chan_… The bluenet silently prayed, tightly closing his fist until blood dripped from his palm. _For the last time, allow me to be selfish._

"When was the last time I called you by that name, my son? 10 years? Perhaps more, since I haven't been communicating with you even if we live in the same household." He laughed sadly, openly admitting his negligence towards his son. It irked Hayato to see his father talk to him this way. "But according to what I've heard," Hayato quickly understood that he was referring to the part where he said he merged with Tokiya with the help of Haruka. "I don't think I'll be able to refer to you using my _other_ son's name anymore since he disappeared… "

"Please _Otou-sama_, enough with the chitchat. I don't give a shit about your small talk. I want to get this over with as soon as possible so I can attend to my girlfriend." The bluenet hissed.

Hajime smirked. "Ah, indeed you and Tokiya have merged into a single person. Tokiya would never have the guts to talk to me in such a disrespectful manner." The young bluenet rolled his eyes, showing his impatience. Hajime sighed exasperatedly. "Without any further ado, allow me to start from the beginning."

"17 years ago, Soragami Shirayuki gave birth to two males, and we named them Hayato and Tokiya. Right after that, we had a divorced due to some… rather obvious reasons," He gave a sideward glance to the woman on his left. Hayato couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. _I never even knew that my mother was as fucked up, or maybe even _more_, than I am!_"where Hayato was taken by your mother in Fukuoka while Tokiya was taken by myself and we remained in Tokyo." He paused, looking at his son. "Are you not going to react? Something similar to 'what do you mean Tokiya was my brother' or whatever?"

"Even if I were to react, nothing will change, right?" Hayato calmly explained, his father was amazed to see _Tokiya _in him. His level-headedness, truly he raised his son with such strictness to be able to remain calm in such situation. "Anyway, Okaa-sama already mentioned to me about Tokiya being my brother. So… yeah. I just want you to explain to me what did she mean by 'your condition after the surgery'."

"I'll be going there soon." He assured.

The young bluenet nodded.

"You might be curious why your mother and I had a divorce…" Hayato opened his mouth to speak but the Ichinose head continued. "It's not about money. We _married _because of it but not divorced out of it. I knew full well that the only reason she married me was because I was willing to pay for her tuition in med school. You might think that my statement now was contradictory to my reaction back when Tokiya and I fought, when I forbid him to meet up with Nanami-san. But you can say that it was because of my anger that's why I said such things."

Hayato could only nod, since he has no recollection about these things. Even though he merged with Tokiya, it was only their personality that shared, not their memories. He only knew about what was going on around Tokiya's life just a month ago, when they can change who's 'in-control' by their own free will. But before that, he knew completely _nothing_.

"The reason why we had a divorce was because I found out after she gave birth that she suffered from _mental issues_. At first, I assumed that it was merely post-partum depression but it got worse over time. She would hurt our servants, throw a tantrum out of the simplest things. I'm surprised myself that I didn't notice it at first but then again, she was able to fool our society to give her a doctor's license even though they had to check her psychological and mental state first, meaning she was _that _great at hiding her problem. Truth to be told, I wasn't planning to give either of my sons to her. But then she threatened me that she'll kill herself if I didn't give Hayato to her.

"After our divorce, I made sure that Tokiya and I still had contact with you. So every month, we went to Fukushima just to visit you and your mother. Everything was great. You two get along quite well and your closure looked as if you were siblings living in the same household. Soragami told me that her state was improving and I can see it with my own eyes that she was. We were actually planning to remarry after some time. This has been our on-going routine for 6 years. But on the 7th year…"

Hayato didn't need for his father to explain to him any further. He felt a sudden throb in his head, it felt as if someone hit him with a metal beam. He heard his father's voice asking him if he was alright, through his hazy eyesight he saw his mother smiling at him, cryptically. When everything finally calmed down, he found himself not inside the fancy restaurant but inside an old car: he was now watching a memory from ten years ago.

"_Papa_," He called out from the backseat, energetically swaying his legs in excitement. "Are we going to meet _Mama_ and Hayato?"

"Yes," His father answered lovingly. "Yes, we are. Are you excited to see them again?"

"You bet I am!" He replied eagerly.

'_Wait_,' Hayato thought. '_This wasn't my memory! It's… Tokiya's!_'

Finally, the car stopped moving.

"Are we already here?" Tokiya asked anxiously.

Hajime went out of the car, opening the door for his son. "Yes, yes we are."

The 7-year old bluenet giggled as he hopped down from the car, running straight to the door of his mother's humble house.

"Tokiya…" His father called out, this only made him ran off even faster. "Please wait for your father, I can't run as fast as you are."

"I don't want to!" Tokiya childishly stuck his tongue out. He took his own keys, opening the mini-door that was just a small door that was specially made for him and Hayato. Without waiting for his father to come in, he barged in like a hurricane. (_It's not like I have his keys_, young Tokiya thought. _He can use the big door if he likes_.) "_Mama_, I'm back!" He shouted cheerfully.

But much to his surprise, no one greeted him back. In fact, it looked as if there was no one inside the house. All the lights were turned off, the whole house was smelly and disorganized as if someone decided to throw a tantrum or something. The whole place was silent. The young heir felt scared but ventured the seemingly familiar yet different house. He headed towards the study room where _Mama_was usually doing research but much to his dismay she was nowhere to be found. He pouted but came to a realization that the only place left that he has yet to check was the master's bedroom.

Just as he thought, when he was just few feet away from the bedroom, he heard Hayato's voice. Topaz-colored eyes widened in delight, happy to catch his brother in a hide-in-seek he didn't even know they were playing. Sneakily, he tiptoed towards the bedroom. With a victorious smirk on his face, he slammed the door open.

"You're it—" Tokiya didn't even manage to finish his sentence, his voice got dislodged inside his throat upon seeing the sight before him. He didn't even feel his father's presence but suddenly his father was there and he was shouting at _Mama_ while _Mama_ was earnestly licking her hands, provoking _Papa _even more. Hayato was lying down on the bed, _naked_. He looked so exhausted, his eyes were bloodshot from crying too much. There were weird marks all over his body, both bruises and—

Hayato heaved heavily, separating herself from the traumatizing memory.

"Did you recall something?" Hajime asked, offering him a glass of water. He nodded, taking the clear liquid with much gratitude.

"_Okaa-sama_…" The bluenet coughed awkwardly, looking away. "She m-m-molested me and she used to physically abuse me." On the other side of the table, Shirayuki smiled eerily but remained silent.

The middle-aged man nodded solemnly. "There was a possibility that it wasn't the first time she did that. We only caught her doing it to you once, and I promised myself that you will not experience this thing again. I told her that I'm going to bring you back to Tokyo and she begged me not to, but this time I didn't budge. But I wasn't able to leave the house. Until now I still don't know how it occurred but I remembered her stabbing something on my arm and I realized too late that—"

"It was a sedative drug."

Stormy grey and clear blue eyes widened, they both turned to look at the brunette who kept mum until now. Shirayuki was much calmer that moment, she looked as composed as the moment Hayato first introduced her to Haruka. She was now the admirable beauty he used to love, but now Hayato knows what was underneath that cold façade and his respect for her disappeared completely.

"I took his keys and left him inside my house, sedated." She continued, her voice was sinister and wicked. Hayato couldn't believe that this was the woman whom he thought was practically sinless and the only problem he had with her was her failure to protect him from his father. But it turns out, he should be thankful to Hajime for protecting him from _her_. "I dragged both of you inside my car, you were still as naked as the day as you were born and Tokiya was fighting back but once I slapped him, he effectively shut up." She grinned, sending shivers to her son's spines. "So I drove, I had no destination in mind. I just wanted to get away from _him_—" She glared at Hajime but he didn't say anything. "—as soon as possible. He took my eldest son away from me and now he was planning to take _you_ away as well, I was not having any of that.

"When we were a mile away from my house, I noticed that Tokiya stopped crying. I turned around and asked him if he's hungry or anything but much to my surprise, I saw him trying to help _you _jump out of the window. When he noticed that I caught their plan to escape, he lunged at me and grabbed the stirring wheel."

Hayato closed his eyes, already knowing where this was going.

"When I woke up," It was now Hajime who continued. "I found out all of you were gone. I checked my phone and saw dozens of missed call and nearly a hundred messages informing me of what happened. The car she was riding collided with a truck. It was a miracle how she survived but the two of you were heavily injured. I arrived at the hospital, I saw your mother more or less alive. I didn't know whether to be happy for that or not. Before I could even talk to her, the doctor informed me of your injuries. Tokiya had absolutely no chance of survival, even though he desperately tried to follow you, jumping off the car. But maybe because of his position on how he tried to save himself, only the lower half of his body got crushed. His torso up to his head was in perfect condition. While you were the polar opposite, your body was in perfect shape but the majority of your brain suffered great damage after you jumped out of the running car, your head landed first."

"But looking at it carefully, I had the slightest chance of survival while Tokiya was practically zero." Hayato pointed out.

Hajime nodded.

"Exactly. If Tokiya were to live, he will remain a crippled all his life. If you were to live, the chances of you remaining in coma was 80%. However, the doctor managed to lower that risk to 50%. They suggested that they transplant Tokiya's brain to your body, removing the unusable and good-as-dead part of your brain, which was sadly the majority."

"But no doctor was willing to do such a thing," Shirayuki interjected. "since there was no record of such a large amount of brain transplant in medical history. I had to plead to a retired surgeon just to help you. And after much effort, he finally consented. Two weeks after the surgery, you woke up. At first, it seemed like there were no side-effects. You were capable of moving, talking and all of those things. It seemed like the accident didn't even occur. But we realized that there _was_ something wrong with you."

"I repeatedly called you Hayato, but you did not respond." Hajime explained. "In fact, you were deathly afraid of me and you kept calling your '_Okaa-sama_', which was even more surprising because I taught you to call us 'Mama' and 'Papa'. However, I don't know what this woman was teaching you." The brunette scoffed. "I thought it was odd because she molested you but you still kept on calling her rather than clinging to me. What shocked me even more was when I let you roam around the hospital playground, you introduced yourself as 'Tokiya' to the kids."

"I slapped you for it." Shirayuki bit her lips bitterly. "I was angry that you, your body was the one that was saved but it was Tokiya's consciousness who lived starting that day on. And I noticed that after I slap you, your attitude change dramatically. It became… _you_! You showed me your attitude before I started hurting you, that feistiness that slowly disappeared when you realize you can't overpower me! It was Hayato, _my son!_"

Before the brunette could start glorifying her son, the business tycoon stopped her. "But no matter how much she abused you, you desperately called for her each night even when I brought you home. For some reason, your memories changed and to you it seemed like _I_was the one abusing you and you were so afraid of me. So I arranged your meet-up each month, I'll allow you to meet with her even with what she has done to you, but I'm always watching in case to prevent her from doing more malicious things to you. I brought you to many doctors and they explained to me what's going. Your attitude, why you were acting that way towards me even though you claim to be 'Tokiya', all those things.

"They said that the brain might as well be a human's self-identity. Since majority of Tokiya's brain was transplanted to your body, he might as well be 'living' inside your body for his personality, interest, mannerism, _everything _was what you were doing. You even proclaimed you were Tokiya, it was difficult to explain to 'you' that 'you're' not what 'you' think 'you' are so the doctors allow 'you' to do whatever 'you' wanted. And the reason why you were scared of me, even telling the doctors that I would occasionally hurt you when you can't do what I wanted you to do, which I never did since I never even allowed you to even go to my office, was because the _Hayato _in you was still there. The trauma of what Soragami was so severe that even when most of your brain was removed, those bitter memories remained. However, it did not make sense since in Tokiya's memories, _I _was the one who's taking care of him since he was young. But because of _your _hostility towards your mother, the one who took care of you, Tokiya's attitude towards me changed, treating me as if _I _was the one who abused him while the light and caring parent figure which originally was me morphed to Shirayuki's image."

"But thankfully, it was your personality when you still weren't broken that remained, back when you were fighting my attempts." She laughed evilly, looking at her former husband with amused eyes. "It amused me every month how 'Tokiya' would talk terribly of his father while Hajime would silently eavesdrop in our conversation. It wouldn't be any fun if it was the _broken_ you who shared bodies with Tokiya."

"No matter how much kindness I showed you and how I wanted you to remember how close we are, you were terrified and despised me with all your heart. And since you thought of me as a strict father," Hajime sighed, sadness in his eyes. "I lived to what you thought of me. I became strict but don't ever think that I physically hurt you because I never did such a thing except that one time with your date with Nanami-san."

"You're lying!" Hayato shouted, slamming his hands on the table. "You think I could forget about how you treated Tokiya?! You can't just tell me all of it was a figment of my imagination! Stop blaming other people for what you've done."

"Then tell me, Hayato." The older Ichinose calmly looked at his son in the eye, he felt threaten in the sincerity of his eyes. "How did the two of us 'first' meet?"

"Y-y-you…" Hayato turned away, feeling doubtful with his own memories now. "I can't remember where we were but you and Okaa-sama were there. You were shouting at Okaa-sama for some reason but I assumed you were angry at her for babying Tokiya after she stopped you from hurting me so I told you, _'Do this again and I won't hesitate to defame you. I will report it throughout the company, to the news, to every single person in this world, how much of a sick bastard you are and how you treat your son like this!'_"

The old businessman looked at his former wife, Shirayuki burst out laughing.

"Ah, such a funny thing human recollection is!" She wiped the tears forming out of her eyes, the bluenet didn't understand her reaction. "It seemed like your memory was faulty so allow me to tell you what _really _happened. We were at the hospital and you were still recovering, that was the time we let you play around with the other patients. That was when I heard you say your name was Tokiya and I slapped you, just in time Ichinose here arrived to check on us and stopped me from doing any further actions. Much to his shock and to my sheer amusement, you shouted those words at him as if _he _was the one who slapped you! HAHAHA!"

Hayato looked down trembling, tears were spilling out of his eyes.

"My whole childhood was a lie…?"

"Hayato," Hajime said in a comforting voice. "It wasn't your fault. Everything was out of our hands!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Shirayuki continued laughing, enjoying the despair of the one she gave birth to.

_I…_The bluenet swallowed the sobs that were meaning to erupt. He stood up and exited from the restaurant, not even saying goodbye.

.

.

.

"So there…" Hayato laughed but tears were still trailing down his cheeks. "I was made to believe that I was a parasite to my own body. Funny, isn't it?"

Haruka stared at her boyfriend with an unreadable expression. She was sitting on the hospital bed, a bandage wrapped securely around her head. Thankfully, she was just fine. There were only minor cuts in her scalp but overall, everything was good.

"Hey, why aren't you saying anything?" He asked. "Don't tell me the damage was so severe you can't even talk anymore."

The rosette shook her head.

"It's not that." She said.

"Then what is it?"

She remained silent for a few seconds.

"Haru-chan…" Hayato groaned, getting impatient.

"Hayato-kun," She spoke at last. "I have to tell you something."

Eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh goodness, I've had enough of a revelation today. Spare me."

Seeing the absolutely serious expression on her face, Hayato realized this was no joking matter.

"I knew about this."

"Knew about what?" He asked.

Harua bit her lips, tears were starting to form in her eyelids. Blue eyes widened in realization. He buried his face on the palm of his hand, shaking his head in disgust.

"Hayato, I'm sorry." She cried. "I said before to Tokiya that I'm willing to wait until you're ready to tell me but—"

"Where did you hear about this." It was more of a statement than a question. "_The fuck_," He laughed bitterly, gritting his teeth. "I can't even trust my own girlfriend anymore."

"Hayato, please." Haruka pleaded. "Calm—"

Hayato grabbed the vase smashed it on the ground. They immediately heard the nurses heading towards her room, Haruka could only cry as her boyfriend was in the brink of a mental breakdown.

"_I heard it from Kurosaki-senpai, okay_?!" She said at last. "He told me about everything and warned me about the possible outcome of my first encounter with your mother."

Hayato didn't say anything. He merely knelt down on the floor, taking the shards of vase scattered all around. Golden eyes widened in fright. She jumped out of bed, pulling the dextrose out of her skin, making blood splatter all over the room. Desperately, she cupped Hayato's face on her hands, forcing him to look at her. "Hayato." She tried to sound calm but her fingers were trembling. "Please calm down. I also have something important to tell you." Hayato remained motionless, tears continued to fall down. Haruka moved closer and kissed those tears goodbye, her blood now completely drenching his face and her whole arm. "Look at me," She whispered. "I love you. You know that, right? I bet you didn't know about this but you also saved me."

"… _saved you_?" He repeated absentmindedly.

She nodded fiercely, kissing his lips before resting her forehead on his.

"Yes, Kurosaki-senpai also told me that-


	30. Chapter 30: Dream

"For the last time, I have already retired so I cannot accept this case, so please." I shouted exasperatedly, clicking the end call button as soon as possible. A few seconds later, I heard my daughter cry loudly in her room. I felt a sharp pang on my chest and I immediately ran to where she was. "Haruka, did I wake you up?" I whispered soothingly, patting her head softly.

She sobbed softly, wiping the tears of her eyes that couldn't see. Even through darkness, I could see the color—or should I say lack thereof—of her eyes. It was the lightest shade of grey, to the point you could barely differentiate her iris from her sclera. If not for her eyes, then I could say that she looked like a carbon-copy of my twin sister.

"_Otou-san_," Haruka sobbed, fumbling her way to sit down. "I had a weird dream."

"Was it scary?" I asked as I helped her sit properly, allowing her to lean her small head on my shoulder.

She earnestly shook her head, which made me raise my eyebrow.

"It wasn't scary at all however…" The tears she tried her best to contain couldn't help but trickle down her cheek. I wiped her tears and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"It's okay," I cooed, hugging her tightly. "It's just a dream."

"But Hayato-kun…"

I froze upon hearing the name. It couldn't be. Maybe she just heard 'Hayato' while I was talking to that persistent woman for it to get incorporated in her dre—

My phone started vibrating, I groaned in frustration. Haruka tilted her head to the side, long orange-red hair fell to her face. "What is that, Otou-san?" I bit my lips bitterly, both in awe and in pain every time I realize how she looked so much like her mother.

"It's nothing." I slowly placed her body back on the futon, covering her frail body with the thick blanket. "Go back to sleep, Haruka. Just call me when you're hungry or when you want to exercise." I already turned my back but I knew that she nodded. I slowly closed the shouji door behind me as I exited her room. Angrily, I fished out my phone from my pocket. "Soragami-_sensei_," I said in a stern voice as I walked as far as possible from my daughter's room. "Please. Go look for another surgeon. You know that I've quit your profession since—"

'_I'll donate Tokiya's eyes to your daughter._' Her voice quivered, I could hear her soft sobs from over the line. My eyes widened upon her proposal and I realized how desperate she was. '_Remember when I promised you that I'll study your daughter's case? Well, I wasn't joking. I found out which part of her eyes were mutated and I can give her the eyesight she's never had if you accepted. I'll even operate her—for free—in exchange for your help to treat my sons."_

"And why didn't you inform me sooner that you have the key to give Haruka her sense of sight?" I growled, clutching the phone on my hand.

'_Haruka_? _Is that the name of your daughter?'_She laughed, completely ignoring my question. '_Well, it doesn't matter since I'll forget about it anyway.'_

"You're insane." I muttered under my breath. How could she laugh right now even if a second ago she was crying like there was no tomorrow. But there's no use asking since I know. In fact, I just said it. "Fine." I answered after much hesitation. "You don't need to pay me since you're offering me something more than enough. But I'll warn you once again—"

'_There's a chance that this operation will be meaningless and both of them will die in vain, I know. I've heard that again and again from all the doctors that passed me around._' She clicked her tongue in annoyance. '_Thank you, Haruto. I knew I could count on you.'_Her voice softened, and I couldn't help but relax. But almost immediately she added something unnecessary and I regretted being friends with this woman in the first place. '_You know, if only that rich bastard didn't come to me first, I would have married you. Oh wait, I just remembered something. You fucked your own—'_

"I'll go there as soon as possible but don't forget your promise." I said, effectively cutting her off.

'_You know I don't make promises I can't keep_.' I heard her smirk before the line died.

I sighed, picking up my surgery tools from my study room. I called my mother to take care of Haruka while I'm gone, since this operation will last more than a day, I estimated. Thankfully, she wasn't busy and agreed almost immediately. I whispered my gratitude before ending the call.

Just as I was about to leave, I saw the glimpse of an old family photo.

It was me and my twin sister. I was kissing her on the temple while she smiled cheerfully at the camera.

I turned away and headed to Haruka's room.

"Haruka, I'll be off to work. Obaa-chan will be here in a few." She didn't reply, meaning she's fast asleep. I smiled and walked out of the house, making sure to lock the doors as I leave.

'_Haruka-oneechan_,' I whispered silently to myself, hopping inside the cab. '_I finally found a way to treat our daughter. I could finally erase the mark of our sweet sin etched on her being.'_

Futari no Himitsu

Chapter 30

Two People's Secret

Or

_Everything is just a_

* * *

**Author's Notes**:

1.) _Inbreed_ [ˈinˌbrēd] - the sexual reproduction of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used inhuman reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and other consequences that may arise from incestuous sexual relationships and consanguinity. (Wikipedia)

2.) I read somewhere that Haruka's birthday was in September, and I thought it doesn't make sense since it's already Autumn in Japan during that time. And now I present to you a backstory on how things came to be.

3.) I made a lot of medical references which may or may not occur, but then again this is a work of fiction and I have my writer's license, hence most of the cases I mentioned does not happen in real life.

4.) I am aware that there are many plotholes for this story. Please point them out that I may fix them.

And that my friend, is the end of Futari no Himitsu.


	31. Clearing Up the Misconceptions

Futari no Himitsu

Clearing up the Misconceptions

* * *

Yes, I know an Author's Notes chapter is not allowed in this site. However I do believe that this chapter is essential to clear up some misunderstanding and to fully understand the conclusion of this story. Here are some questions that I've received concerning the story. If you have more, please don't be afraid to contact me via review or PM.

1.) Why was there a sudden loss of character development by the end of the series?

In all honesty, after my hiatus, I forgot about the majority of the other characters (e.g. STARISH, QUARTET NIGHT), but if you're referring to why I didn't create a chapter where they reacted on Tokiya's disappearances or why did we time-skip 1 month later when the couple was about to meet Hayato's mother with no regards to show how they possibly cope up with this sudden change in Hayato's life...

That was intentional.

From the beginning of the story, I have already decided that this was going to be the ending. It will be rushed, and I warned beforehand that this story will not wait for you.

This fanfic isn't about developing the characters. This story was made to intentionally make you think that the plot of the story is about Haruka's journey on how to merge Tokiya and Hayato into a single-person.

But it isn't.

Some of you might think that the title of the story isn't connected to the point of it, but you are very wrong.

Futari no Himitsu's, or 'Two People's Secret' in English, main plot is to find what is the secret of this story and who these 'two people' are. The other characters were merely comic relief to hide the true dark intentions of this story, while Haruka and Hayato are just instruments to find out what is this 'secret' and who is this 'two people'.

2.) What happened to Tokiya?

As Haruka and Hayato concluded, his personality merged with Hayato. If you've noticed, Hayato's way of speaking changed in Chapter 29. This showed how they became one. There's no further explanation there. But the reason why he was the one who disappeared and not Hayato was mentioned in the Chapter 29. If this was not understood, well. I'll further expound this topic later.

3.) Did Hayato and Haruka do 'emit?

I leave that to you.

These are some rather important questions that will clarify the ending of the story asked by yours truly, Sir Callum (Cow-senpai). If you have more questions, again, review or PM me. (Note: This was translated to English, we were conversing in our native tongue to it might sound a bit odd...)

4.) Why did Hayato have a slighter change of survival while Tokiya had zero? Didn't Hayato suffer brain damage?

Okay, this one will get kind of bloody(no dark jokes intended). I'll try to make relevance to real medical knowledge however I'll also use my writer's license since this case was clearly too good to be true. With my meager knowledge in the medicine field, allow me to explain.

Hayato suffered from brain damage from his fall when Tokiya helped him escape the car, also before this incident, Hayato had a history of physical/emotional abuse from his mother which left his brain _not _working (too much stress can alter some of the mechanics in your brain) while Tokiya's lower half (hips down to his legs) was crushed, or if you want me to be more descriptive and say what I truly imagined in this scene, Tokiya's poor seven year old body was severed in half. Meaning, if he were to live, he would be crippled and even worse, because the hips is connected to the spine, he will be paralyzed.

5.) I still don't understand. Hayato had BRAIN damage, isn't brain damage more dangerous than severed lower extremities?

I'm aware that in first aid class, if a person has two injuries: head injury or his/ her arm is bleeding profusely, what should you attend first? And the head injury is the answer since the brain has power on all parts of the body. Again, I'm using my writer's license to explain the unexplainable but please bear with me.

Hayato's skull cracked when he fell off a fast running car and landed on the asphalt, I doubt you want me to further describe this but I shall, his brain and skull bits scattered on the road while Tokiya had his lower half gone, suffered excessive bleeding, and such pain is enough to cause his nervous system to go haywire because of too much pain sensory overload it made him suffer cardiac arrest (this was not mentioned in the story but I thought it was not needed for Hajime needed to state the important parts, not Tokiya's full autopsy). To put it simply, Tokiya suffered more physical damage that even surgery couldn't fix that's why he's had lower risk of survival.

To Med students/doctors reading this, can you verify my theory here? Please.

6.) Why did you decide not to _completely_ transfer Tokiya's brain to Hayato's body?

Damn it, Cow-senpai. You just have to press questions on the medical plot holes xD If the majority of Tokiya's brain was transferred to his brother's, it will seem like he is the 'dominant' personality and Hayato was the parasitic, dual-personality. If I removed ALL of Hayato's, meaning he will have no 'part' left in his body meaning the dual-personality conflict will be trash.

Which leads me to why it was Tokiya who disappeared. He was the one who disappeared because _he _was the dual-personality. The body he was using was Hayato's, meaning _he _was the one freeloading at another person's body.

Later on, you might've noticed that Tokiya acted eerily. Did he realize that he was _the _dual-personality? Did he merge with Hayato because of this? Did he merge with Hayato because of this? I leave that up to your imagination ;)

7.) What do you mean by 'Two People's Secret'? What _is _the secret and who are you referring to by 'Two People'?

Surely, most of you, if not all of you, thought it was Haruka and Tokiya. Their secret was Tokiya's (but actually Hayato's) dual personality.

But it isn't.

By two people, I mean two pair of people. The first one were Hajime and Shirayuki, their secret everything about the Ichinose's dirt: Shirayuki being insane, Hajime paying her to marry him, the ex Ichinose matriarch was a pedophile who had incestuous lust for her son, and last but not the least the unethical surgery that shouldn't have been done. Shirayuki bribed a fellow doctor to do this surgery, this surgery that has nearly no chance of success. If you have noticed, many diseases should have a cure already because of the advancement of technology. However many scientist don't publicize this cure or treatment for fear of public scrutiny due to how 'unethical' and 'defies God's law' the procedures are. Back then, transplants were considered the same by people (some religions still refuse blood transplant and surgery), and brain surgery being one of the most critical ones.

The second pair were Haruto and Haruka (Haruka's mother). Since the beginning to Uta no Prince-sama, everyone would comment on how utterly creepy Haruka's eyes were, but honestly I found them mysterious. Second, I found it odd, when I stumbled upon an information that Haruka's birthday was on September, as far as I am concerned, Spring (Enlish for Haru) in Japan occurs during March to May. While this story was still at its draft stage, I found out about inbreeding and I thought this would be a great conflict to my story and to explain Haruk's eyes.

These two pair of people, hiding their own secrets, have lives differing from one another greatly but who would have known that because of their secrets, it would affect the lives of their children greatly: Hayato (and Tokiya) and Haruka.

8.) Is Haruka aware that she's a product of an incestuous relationship?

I leave that up to you.

9.) That incest thing is so abrupt. Is that a 'Game of Thrones' reference?

I only found out about GoT last April and I already incorporated this story by late 2013 so I have to say, sorry, Cow-senpai. This is not a GoT reference XD

9.) I don't understand the ending of the story.

I realize it myself, since none of the reviewers are protesting why the fuck did it end like this.

Even my beta didn't get the ending.

Allow me to explain.

If you've noticed, by the end of Chapter 29, Haruka stopped mid-sentence. No this is not a typo or anything of that sort. This was intentional.

On Chapter 30, we moved 10 years in the 'past' where Haruto is talking with Shirayuki over the phone. This is the part where Haruka wakes up. Haruto immediately went to her side and comforted her, Haruka said she had a weird dream.

Do you understand now?

In other words, everything that happened in the Futari no Himitsu-verse was nothing but a dream from blind 7-year old Haruka.

Meaning, all my explanation was pointless!

Hahahahah!

Hate me!

But!

Shirayuki called once again, offering Tokiya's eyes in exchange for Haruto's help. He agreed in order to cure Haruka, her daughter.

So what does it all mean?

There's a possibility that Haruka's dream, isn't just a dream, but a premonition that this might happen in the future. Meaning, the 'real' present is actually THIS chapter while EVERYTHING that happened in the story is what will happen 10 years later to Haruka.

After all, in Ancient Greek, those with the gift of prophecy or capability to see the future are blind people.

_Or is it?_

Is it a dream or vision of the future?

I leave it up to you.

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**Answering Reviews! **

In this section, I will answer questions/reviews that are hurled at me via guest reviews! Since I don't have any way to contact you, I'll post it here!

From _Ayumi _(October 22, 2015): _"Seriously? I'm a med student, and definitely there is no chance whatsoever (till the future comes) to have a BRAIN transplant...that's totally hilarious. The chapters were really intense and good till you came up with that idea...and I expected some /action/ between haruka and toki."_

My Reply: ... For some reason, the mockery in your tone disappoints me. Actually, the whole REVIEW itself disappoints me. ._. I don't know if you DON'T know about Writer's license which I repeatedly REPEATED in this whole note. But in case you DON'T know let me give you the definition according to Wikipedia.

**Artistic license** (also known as **art licenselo**, **historical license**, **dramatic license**, **poetic license**, **narrative license**, **licentia poetica**, or simply **license**) (But in my term, WRITER'S LICENSE WOHOOO) is a colloquial term, sometimes a euphemism, used to denote the distortion of fact, alteration of the conventions of grammar or language, or rewording of pre-existing text made by an artist in the name of art.

Yes, I do _know_ that brain transplant isn't practiced. The characters in the story pointed out that 'they're not willing to accept the case', why? Because _this isn't practiced in real life_. And the only reason why this transplant occurred was because of Shirayuki's bribery. It was again mentioned that it has barely any chance of survival. **Because this isn't practiced in real life**. But because I have my writer's license (or artistic license), I can alter facts in order to cope up with my story.

By action, do you mean 'sex'? ._. This is even more... no, in all honestly I find this disgusting. Really? Why would you people worry about FUCKING SEX when most of the people didn't get the ENDING? And by the way, this is a T-rated story. You want sex? Go read some M. I can suggest good fanfics if you're willing to log in with an actual account.

**want me to answer your anon revieeeews? **Go review now! If you want me to reply privately, please log in with an account so that we won't embarrass each other here thank you.

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**Author's Notes:** More questions? PM me or place it on your review!

Ill be working on Date with Haruka: RaNmaru arc by the end of this week since it'll be our semestral break. Oh, I also wrote a short Amensia fic, it's heroinexKento. I loved the game and Kento was such a cutie.

Byeee~


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